Logistics trends
Container traffic, mineral freight, rail and air transport: what the available data say about Gabon's logistics flows, and where they fall short.
180,878 EVP
The number of standard containers (TEU) handled each year by Gabon's ports, a key measure of the country's logistics activity.
Source: World Bank, 2024
Analysis
Logistics statistics for Gabon are scattered: the World Bank publishes harmonised series on containers, rail and air transport, while operators (OPRAG, Setrag, Arise Ports & Logistics) release occasional figures. This page brings together open series and verified operator figures, with source and date. Series flagged as missing are those the platform still aims to add.
Tracked indicators
Container port traffic
180,878 EVP
2024
Source: World Bank
Logistics performance index (LPI)
2.40 /5
2022
Source: World Bank
Air passengers carried
77,320 Persons
2016
Source: World Bank
Ports: container traffic back to last decade's levels
According to the World Bank, container traffic in Gabonese ports has ranged between 130,000 and 200,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) a year since 2010. After peaking at 197,998 TEU in 2014, it fell to 148,003 TEU in 2020, then recovered to 173,279 TEU in 2023. The published series shows 180,878 TEU for 2024, identical to the 2022 figure, which should be read with caution until the port authority confirms it.
Capacity has been expanded: the original Owendo container terminal is designed for 130,000 TEU a year, and the New Owendo International Port, opened in 2017, added a 500-metre quay. The Owendo commercial port handles about 6 million tonnes of goods a year, according to OPRAG.
Container traffic in Gabonese ports (TEU)
| Year | TEU |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 197,998 |
| 2018 | 141,649 |
| 2019 | 154,330 |
| 2020 | 148,003 |
| 2021 | 154,474 |
| 2022 | 180,878 |
| 2023 | 173,279 |
| 2024 | 180,878 |
Source: Banque mondiale, World Development Indicators, série IS.SHP.GOOD.TU (opens in a new tab)
Ore: the bulk of freight volumes
Manganese from Moanda dominates the volumes carried. Owendo Mineral Port, Arise Ports & Logistics' multi-user terminal, operating since 2017, shipped according to Ports et corridors a record 6.25 million tonnes in 2022, then 5.28 million in 2023. Comilog's neighbouring mineral terminal has a capacity of about 5 million tonnes a year. From 2023, iron ore from the Bélinga deposit has also been carried by road and rail to Owendo.
Mineral and rail freight
Ore shipped at Owendo Mineral Port
5.28 million tonnes
2023
Freight carried by the Trans-Gabon railway (approx.)
7 million tonnes
2019
Rail freight capacity target
21 million tonnes a year (about 9 today)
2029
Rail: capacity being upgraded
The Trans-Gabon railway carried about 330,000 passengers and nearly 7 million tonnes of freight in 2019, according to Setrag. According to the World Bank, passenger traffic fell from 171 million passenger-kilometres in 2019 to 87 million in 2020, a year marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. The modernisation and safety programme signed in November 2025 (203 million euros) is intended to make the track more reliable and raise capacity to 16 train paths a day, or 8 trains in each direction. According to Financial Afrik, the State is aiming for 21 million tonnes of freight a year by 2029.
Air transport: little recent data
Léon Mba airport in Libreville handled 773,442 passengers in 2011, against a terminal capacity of 1.2 million passengers a year. The World Bank series on air passengers only covers carriers registered in Gabon and stops in 2016, so it does not reflect total airport traffic. The platform is seeking more recent airport traffic data from the operators.
Logistics performance
The World Bank's Logistics Performance Index (LPI) gives Gabon an overall score of 2.4 out of 5 in 2022, up from 2.16 in 2018. The score for the quality of trade and transport infrastructure stands at 2.2 in 2022.
Logistics hubs
- Airport, Port
- Railway
- Railway station
- Road corridor
The map cannot be displayed in this browser. The list of places remains available.
List of places (39)
- Bitam Airport Airport
- M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (Franceville) Airport
- Gamba Airport Airport
- Koulamoutou-Mabimbi Airport Airport
- Lambaréné Airport Airport
- Lastoursville Airport Airport
- Léon Mba International Airport (Libreville) Airport
- Makokou Airport Airport
- Mayumba Airport Airport
- Mékambo Airfield Airport
- Moanda Airfield Airport
- Mouila Airport Airport
- Okondja Airport Airport
- Oyem Airport Airport
- Port-Gentil International Airport Airport
- Tchibanga Airport Airport
- Owendo Mineral Port (Arise P&L) Port
- Port of Port-Gentil Port
- Libreville Port-Môle Port
- Port of Owendo (commercial port and container terminal) Port
- Owendo mineral port (Comilog) Port
- Acaé secondary port (Libreville) Port
- Trans-Gabon railway (Owendo-Franceville) Railway
- Alembé station Railway station
- Andem station Railway station
- Ayem station Railway station
- Booué station Railway station
- Franceville station Railway station
- Ivindo station Railway station
- Lastoursville station Railway station
- Lopé station Railway station
- Moanda station Railway station
- Ndjolé station Railway station
- Ntoum station Railway station
- Otoumbi station Railway station
- Owendo station Railway station
- Libreville-Ndjolé-Oyem-Bitam-Cameroon border corridor Road corridor
- Libreville-Ntoum-Cocobeach road Road corridor
- Libreville-Lambaréné-Mouila-Ndendé-Congo border corridor (RN1) Road corridor
Further reading
-
World Bank, Gabon container traffic (opens in a new tab)
Series IS.SHP.GOOD.TU, open data.
-
World Bank, Logistics Performance Index (opens in a new tab)
Series LP.LPI.OVRL.XQ.
-
OPRAG, port of Owendo (opens in a new tab)
Terminal features and capacities.
Charts
Series updated automatically with every data publication.
Merchandise exports, Merchandise imports
Merchandise exports (Gabon) went from 2,598.0 M USD in 2000 to 11,600.0 M USD in 2025. The highest value was reached in 2014 (13,914.0 M USD). Merchandise imports (Gabon) went from 950.0 M USD in 2000 to 4,000.0 M USD in 2025. The highest value was reached in 2014 (9,564.0 M USD).
| Period | Merchandise exports (M USD) | Merchandise imports (M USD) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,598.0 | 950.0 |
| 2001 | 2,524.0 | 1,002.0 |
| 2002 | 2,409.0 | 1,135.0 |
| 2003 | 3,062.0 | 1,206.0 |
| 2004 | 3,728.0 | 1,347.0 |
| 2005 | 5,065.0 | 1,471.0 |
| 2006 | 5,450.0 | 1,725.0 |
| 2007 | 6,309.0 | 2,157.0 |
| 2008 | 9,566.0 | 2,563.0 |
| 2009 | 5,356.0 | 2,501.0 |
| 2010 | 8,686.0 | 2,983.0 |
| 2011 | 9,766.0 | 3,665.0 |
| 2012 | 12,129.0 | 5,541.0 |
| 2013 | 13,039.0 | 6,537.0 |
| 2014 | 13,914.0 | 9,564.0 |
| 2015 | 10,654.0 | 6,121.0 |
| 2016 | 9,503.0 | 6,172.0 |
| 2017 | 5,771.0 | 3,845.0 |
| 2018 | 8,584.0 | 3,493.0 |
| 2019 | 7,714.0 | 3,874.0 |
| 2020 | 7,345.0 | 3,484.0 |
| 2021 | 8,031.0 | 3,646.0 |
| 2022 | 10,470.0 | 4,060.0 |
| 2023 | 12,695.0 | 4,217.0 |
| 2024 | 13,000.0 | 4,000.0 |
| 2025 | 11,600.0 | 4,000.0 |
Exports of goods and services, Imports of goods and services
Exports of goods and services (Gabon) went from 69.0 % of GDP in 2000 to 55.5 % of GDP in 2025. Imports of goods and services (Gabon) went from 32.7 % of GDP in 2000 to 29.4 % of GDP in 2025. The highest value was reached in 2013 (33.3 % of GDP).
| Period | Exports of goods and services (% of GDP) | Imports of goods and services (% of GDP) |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 69.0 | 32.7 |
| 2001 | 54.3 | 29.4 |
| 2002 | 52.6 | 32.2 |
| 2003 | 51.9 | 28.4 |
| 2004 | 55.0 | 26.7 |
| 2005 | 60.0 | 23.9 |
| 2006 | 60.6 | 28.1 |
| 2007 | 58.5 | 26.6 |
| 2008 | 62.2 | 26.8 |
| 2009 | 52.2 | 31.3 |
| 2010 | 57.7 | 31.5 |
| 2011 | 61.7 | 28.8 |
| 2012 | 61.0 | 31.4 |
| 2013 | 57.4 | 33.3 |
| 2014 | 44.5 | 29.0 |
| 2015 | 46.0 | 27.9 |
| 2016 | 44.0 | 26.1 |
| 2017 | 50.2 | 24.8 |
| 2018 | 54.3 | 22.7 |
| 2019 | 51.4 | 22.0 |
| 2020 | 47.6 | 22.5 |
| 2021 | 60.9 | 24.4 |
| 2022 | 67.6 | 24.5 |
| 2023 | 63.7 | 27.8 |
| 2024 | 64.6 | 27.5 |
| 2025 | 55.5 | 29.4 |
Sources
13 sources cited
- World Development Indicators, série IS.SHP.GOOD.TU (trafic de conteneurs) (opens in a new tab)
- World Development Indicators, séries LP.LPI.OVRL.XQ et LP.LPI.INFR.XQ (indice de performance logistique) (opens in a new tab)
- World Development Indicators, série IS.RRS.PASG.KM (voyageurs-kilomètres ferroviaires) (opens in a new tab)
- World Development Indicators, série IS.AIR.PSGR (passagers aériens) (opens in a new tab)
- Port d'Owendo (opens in a new tab)
- Gabon (opens in a new tab)
- Owendo Mineral Port (Arise P&L), logisticien portuaire des minerais (opens in a new tab)
- Histoire (opens in a new tab)
- Setrag lance un Programme de Modernisation et de Sécurisation de la voie ferrée (opens in a new tab)
- Moderniser le rail pour relier l'avenir : signature du Programme de Modernisation et de Sécurisation du Transgabonais (opens in a new tab)
- Belinga (opens in a new tab)
- Libreville (opens in a new tab)
- Aéroport international Léon-Mba (opens in a new tab)
