Gabon: Net foreign assets (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2019, Gabon's net foreign assets (current LCU) fell 313.27 billion on 2018 (from 794.4 billion to 481.13 billion).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was +28.92 billion and a typical year strayed about 196.62 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 399.89 billion in 2007 and the biggest yearly fall was 659.48 billion in 2016. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2010 to 2019 the straight-line trend is downward, about 69.42 billion a year. A straight line explains 37% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Gabon in the 2019 ranking

• Cameroon — 1st of 4: 2.35 trillion
• Sri Lanka — 3rd of 4: 212.6 billion
• Mauritania — 4th of 4: 23.65 billion

What this measures

Net foreign assets are the sum of foreign assets held by monetary authorities and deposit money banks, less their foreign liabilities. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

All 60 values

Net foreign assets (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — 12.83 trillion (2025)
• Benin — 2.24 trillion (2025)
• Botswana — 60.03 billion (2025)
• Burkina Faso — 3.31 trillion (2025)
• Burundi — -2.26 trillion (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 118.67 billion (2025)
• Cameroon — 2.35 trillion (2019)
• Central African Republic — 15.18 billion (2022)
• Chad — -347.79 billion (2021)
• Comoros — 126.48 billion (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep.

More financial sector data for Gabon

• GDP deflator (base year varies by country) — 194.77 (2025)
• DEC alternative conversion factor (LCU per US$) — US$581.93 (2025)
• Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) — US$581.93 (2025)
• Inflation, GDP deflator (annual % growth) — -3.96% (2025)
• Consumer price index (2010 = 100) — 139.73 (2025)
• Inflation, consumer prices (annual % growth) — 1.77% (2025)
• Domestic credit to private sector by banks (% of GDP) — 13.35% (2019)
• Net domestic credit (current LCU) — 2.41 trillion (2019)
• Monetary sector credit to private sector (% of GDP) — 13.38% (2019)
• Broad money (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Gabon's net foreign assets (current LCU)?

481.13 billion in 2019, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1960?

It is up 15,831% from 3.02 billion in 1960 (8.97% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.42 trillion in 2013 and the lowest -73.13 billion in 1988.

Is the latest change in net foreign assets (current LCU) unusual for Gabon?

In 2019, Gabon's net foreign assets (current LCU) fell 313.27 billion on 2018 (from 794.4 billion to 481.13 billion). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1989 to 2018), the average change was +28.92 billion and a typical year strayed about 196.62 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FM.AST.NFRG.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Financial Statistics database, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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