The 2026 Public Finance Review outlines strategic budget policies to enhance fiscal sustainability, stimulate job creation, and elevate living standards for all Gabonese citizens.
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Key takeaways from the review
- Revenue challenges: Between 2014 and 2024, Gabon’s non-oil tax revenues averaged just 10.5% of GDP—well below peer averages—due to extensive tax exemptions and weak tax compliance across the economy.
- Public spending trends: Public expenditure surged to 25% of GDP in 2023–2024, yet social spending remained critically low at 4% of GDP—less than half the sub-Saharan Africa average. High wage bills, fuel subsidies, and debt servicing continue to crowd out productive and social investments.
- Extractive sector performance: Despite ranking fourth in sub-Saharan oil production, second worldwide in manganese output, and among top timber exporters, Gabon captures less revenue per barrel than regional peers. Revenues from forestry and mining sectors fall short of their full fiscal potential.
- Public finance governance issues: In 2024, direct contracting accounted for 90% of public procurement value. By late 2025, arrears on public debt reached 3.5% of GDP, while combined debt of major state-owned enterprises exceeded 8% of GDP. These figures highlight persistent weaknesses in budget management, debt management, procurement practices, and governance of public entities.
- Social sector underfunding: Gabon’s health, education, and social protection systems face chronic underfunding. The country has only 0.5 doctors per 1,000 people, fewer than half of preschool teachers hold formal qualifications, and social protection spending stood at just 0.03% of GDP in 2024.
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