After several decades of continuous progress, Gabon’s Human Development Index (HDI) has been experiencing a concerning decline since 2021. According to the National Report on Human Development (RNDH 2026), the country has moved from a phase of consolidation to a true structural regression.

The HDI has dropped from 0.704 in 2020 to 0.693 starting from 2021, pushing Gabon out of the category of high human development for its return to that of medium human development.

This downward trend highlights the fragility of a model long sustained by oil revenues but insufficiently diversified to withstand economic and health shocks.