Flag of Central African Republic

Central African Republic: capital, population, area and flag

Central African Republic is a country in Middle Africa (Africa). Its capital is Bangui. The population is about 5.51M (#118 of 193) and the area is about 622,980 km² (#44 of 193).

Key facts

Capital
Bangui
Region
Africa / Middle Africa
Population
5,513,282 (2025) #118 of 193
Total area
622,980 km² (2024) #44 of 193
Population density
8.6 people/km² (2024) #182 of 193
GDP (total)
$3.07B (2025) #164 of 189
GDP per capita
$556 (2025) #187 of 189
Life expectancy
57.7 years (2024) #191 of 193
Distance from Japan
12,451 km #60 of 192
Area compared with Japan
about 1.6 times that of Japan
Population compared with Japan
about 1/22 that of Japan
Main languages
French, Sango
Currency
Central African CFA Franc (XAF)
Calling code
+236
Time zone (capital)
UTC+1
Time difference from Japan (standard time)
8 h behind Japan
Driving side
Right
Capital location
4.37°N 18.56°E

Map of Central African Republic

Map of Central African Republic

Capital: Bangui

Central African Republic: in the world’s top 10 for food & farming

Central African Republic ranks among the world’s top 10 for these crops, animals, seafood and farm products (latest FAO data).

Neighbors by land

Top rankings

Central African Republic is in the top 10 for:

Central African Republic in world rankings

How Central African Republic compares with other countries, indicator by indicator. Click an indicator to see the full ranking.

IndicatorValueYearRank
Geography & nature
Total area622,980 km²2024#44 of 193
Number of land borders6#20 of 193 tied
Latitude of the capital4.4°#143 of 193
Distance from Japan12,451 km#60 of 192
Forest area (share of land)72.5%2024#14 of 193
Arable land (share of land)2.9%2024#151 of 190
Protected land (share of land)14.8%2025#120 of 192 tied
Agricultural land (share of land)9.3%2024#170 of 192
Average annual rainfall1,343 mm2022#67 of 180
Freshwater resources per person27,658 m³2022#22 of 181
Forest area450,949 km²2025#17 of 193
People & population
Population5,513,2822025#118 of 193
Population density8.6 people/km²2024#182 of 193
Population growth rate3.37%2025#7 of 193
Urban population (share of people)44.6%2025#141 of 193
Life expectancy57.7 years2024#191 of 193
Fertility rate5.95 births per woman2024#4 of 193
Infant mortality rate58.8 per 1,000 births2024#8 of 192
Birth rate46.2 per 1,000 people2024#1 of 193
Share of people aged 65 and over2.2%2025#189 of 193
Share of children aged 0–1448.7%2025#1 of 193
Life expectancy of women59.6 years2024#191 of 193
Life expectancy of men55.5 years2024#189 of 193
Maternal mortality ratio692 per 100,000 births2023#3 of 192 tied
City dwellers living in the largest city (share)41.4%2025#33 of 149
Death rate (per 1,000 people)9.4 per 1,000 people2024#49 of 193
Under-5 mortality (per 1,000 births)89.7 per 1,000 births2024#8 of 192 tied
Population aged 15–64 (share of population)49.1%2025#193 of 193
Economy
GDP (total)$3.07B2025#164 of 189
GDP per capita$5562025#187 of 189
GDP per capita (PPP)$1,3142025#184 of 185
Economic growth rate4.5%2025#57 of 188
Inflation rate1.0%2025#144 of 179
Unemployment rate6.3%2025#69 of 178
Exports (share of GDP)19.3%2025#135 of 168
Imports (share of GDP)33.6%2025#107 of 168
Agriculture (share of GDP)27.6%2025#16 of 184
Industry (share of GDP)21.2%2025#117 of 185
Services (share of GDP)41.4%2025#169 of 185
Military spending (share of GDP)2.3%2025#46 of 155
Income inequality (Gini index)43.0 (0–100)2021#24 of 149 tied
Goods exports (total)$255M2025#170 of 190
Women in the labor force (share of women)65.5%2025#23 of 178
Youth unemployment rate10.1%2025#108 of 178
Cereal production282,868 t2024#129 of 177
Cereal yield (per hectare of farmland)788 kg/ha2024#164 of 175
Fish and seafood production (catch + farmed)29,410 t2024#125 of 193
Fish catch (from sea, rivers and lakes)29,000 t2024#120 of 193
Aquaculture (farmed fish and seafood)410 t2024#139 of 193
Livestock production growth (2014–16 = 100)108.8 (2014–16 average = 100)2024#96 of 187
Fertilizer use (per hectare of arable land)0 kg/ha2024#186 of 187
Manufacturing (share of GDP)18.0%2023#29 of 178
Employment in agriculture (share of jobs)66.1%2025#7 of 178
High-technology exports (share of manufactured exports)8.3%2024#77 of 168
Foreign direct investment, inflows (share of GDP)1.4%2025#112 of 187
Development aid received (share of national income)27.3%2023#5 of 132
Labor force (number of people)2,076,3742025#125 of 178
Reserves of foreign currency and gold$489M2024#154 of 169
Extreme poverty (share living on less than $3.00 a day)71.6%2021#6 of 132
Daily life & technology
Internet users (share of people)13.8%2024#182 of 186
Mobile phone subscriptions38.8 per 100 people2022#189 of 193
Access to electricity (share of people)18.2%2024#190 of 193
Health spending (share of GDP)10.7%2023#21 of 192
Education spending (share of GDP)1.8%2023#167 of 179
Doctors0.07 per 1,000 people2023#184 of 188
Women in parliament (share of seats)11.4%2025#163 of 192 tied
Fixed broadband subscriptions0.0 per 100 people2022#187 of 192
Safe drinking water (share of people)6.2%2024#136 of 136
Safe sanitation (share of people)13.5%2024#127 of 136
Undernourishment (share of people)29.8%2024#11 of 165
Clean cooking fuels (share of people)1.0%2024#189 of 192 tied
Road traffic deaths37.7 per 100,000 people2019#6 of 183
Measles vaccination (share of children)41.0%2024#190 of 192 tied
Secondary school enrollment (gross)15.8%2017#179 of 180
Primary school completion rate38.5%2016#171 of 172
Nurses and midwives (per 1,000 people)1.10 per 1,000 people2023#158 of 190
Tuberculosis cases (per 100,000 people)419 per 100,000 people2024#10 of 191
Health spending per person$542023#169 of 192
Environment
Renewable electricity (share of power)96.5%2021#5 of 187
CO₂ emissions per person0.1 t CO₂e per person2024#180 of 186
CO₂ emissions (total)0.3 Mt CO₂e2024#172 of 186
Air pollution (PM2.5)33.3 µg/m³2023#38 of 192
Renewable energy (share of final energy use)90.9%2022#5 of 191 tied
Electricity from nuclear power (share of total)0.0%2021#33 of 190 tied
Electricity from hydropower (share of total)96.2%2021#7 of 190
Greenhouse gas emissions (total)13.4 Mt CO₂e2024#131 of 186
Freshwater withdrawal (share of internal resources)0.1%2022#173 of 175
Food & farming
Rice: production52,868 t2024#82 of 114
Maize (corn): production200,000 t2024#95 of 160
Sorghum: production20,000 t2024#67 of 107
Millet: production10,000 t2024#48 of 73
Potatoes: production1,396 t2024#139 of 150
Cassava: production1,212,522 t2024#33 of 92
Yams: production227,415 t2024#13 of 56
Groundnuts (peanuts): production550,000 t2024#17 of 108
Palm oil: production630 t2023#44 of 45
Oranges: production35,186 t2024#65 of 112
Lemons (with limes): production2,872 t2024#77 of 101
Bananas: production57,240 t2024#66 of 113
Mangoes (with guavas and mangosteens): production12,491 t2024#58 of 96
Pineapples: production15,861 t2024#48 of 82
Avocados: production8,976 t2024#44 of 70
Grapefruits (with pomelos): production5,665 t2024#41 of 71
Coffee: production324,923 t2024#9 of 74
Cocoa beans: production136 t2024#52 of 58
Sugar cane: production124,628 t2024#75 of 93
Cotton (fibre): production19,986 t2023#36 of 85
Tobacco: production480 t2024#93 of 117
Beef (cattle meat): production103,630 t2024#71 of 181
Pork (pig meat): production21,218 t2024#84 of 164
Chicken meat: production6,062 t2024#147 of 183
Cow’s milk: production83,107 t2024#128 of 178
Hen eggs: production2,645 t2024#136 of 167
Honey: production16,950 t2024#27 of 122
Sheep meat (mutton and lamb): production2,614 t2024#99 of 172
Goat meat: production21,739 t2024#35 of 164
Nile tilapia: production220 t2024#54 of 79
Common carp: production15 t2024#79 of 97 tied
African sharptooth catfish: production80 t2024#48 of 63
Seaweeds and other aquatic plants: production30 t2024#50 of 68
Carps and other cyprinids: production35 t2024#94 of 115
Tilapias and other cichlids: production220 t2024#75 of 119
Cattle: number of animals4,864,952 animals2024#55 of 183
Pigs: number of animals1,121,182 animals2024#62 of 165
Chickens: number of animals6,910,000 birds2024#122 of 181
Sheep: number of animals452,132 animals2024#101 of 173
Goats: number of animals6,193,443 animals2024#32 of 180
Ducks: number of animals13,000 birds2024#71 of 80

Questions about Central African Republic

What is the capital of Central African Republic?

The capital of Central African Republic is Bangui.

What is the population of Central African Republic?

Central African Republic has a population of about 5.51M (2025), #118 of 193 among countries.

How big is Central African Republic?

Central African Republic covers about 622,980 km², #44 of 193 among countries.

Which continent is Central African Republic in?

Central African Republic is in Africa, in the region of Middle Africa.

What currency and languages are used in Central African Republic?

The currency is the Central African CFA Franc. Main languages: French, Sango.

How does Central African Republic compare with Japan in size and population?

The area of Central African Republic is about 1.6 times that of Japan, and its population is about 1/22 that of Japan.

How far is Central African Republic from Japan?

The capital, Bangui, is about 12,451 km from Tokyo, the capital of Japan, in a straight line.

What is the time difference between Central African Republic and Japan?

The capital, Bangui, is on UTC+1 in standard time: 8 h behind Japan.

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