Countries and regions of the world › Africa › Middle Africa
Central African Republic
The capital is Bangui, with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city. It has 5.7 million inhabitants (116th in the world) on 622,980 km² (43rd in the world), with a density of 9 people per km². Life expectancy at birth is 58.2 years, women have 5.69 children on average and half the population is older than 16. GDP per capita is $556 (191st in the world, 2025 figure).
See on the map Population pyramid In the bubble chart
Key data, 2026
| Indicator | Value | Rank | World | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territory | ||||
| Total area (km²) | 622,980 (2024) | 43rd / 195 | 137 million | |
| Land area (km²) | 622,980 (2024) | 43rd / 194 | 130 million | |
| Density (people per km²) | 9.1 | 182nd / 194 | 63.8 | |
| Population | ||||
| Population | 5,698,983 | 116th / 194 | 8.30 billion | |
| Population growth (% a year) | +3.37 | 1st / 194 | +0.84 | |
| Median age (years) | 15.7 | 194th / 194 | 32.1 | |
| Under 15 (%) | 48.2 | 1st / 194 | 24.1 | |
| 65 and over (%) | 2.2 | 190th / 194 | 10.6 | |
| Urban population (%) | 44.6 (2025) | 142nd / 194 | 57.7 | |
| Births and health | ||||
| Children per woman | 5.69 | 4th / 194 | 2.23 | |
| Life expectancy (years) | 58.2 | 191st / 194 | 73.8 | |
| Life expectancy, men (years) | 56.0 | 190th / 194 | 71.2 | |
| Life expectancy, women (years) | 60.1 | 192nd / 194 | 76.4 | |
| Infant mortality (‰ births) | 65.8 | 3rd / 194 | 26.1 | |
| Migration | ||||
| Net migration (‰ people) | -2.7 | 165th / 194 | 0.0 | |
| Economy and environment | ||||
| GDP (dollars) | $3.1B (2025) | 167th / 193 | $117.32T | |
| GDP per capita (dollars) | $556 (2025) | 191st / 193 | $14,306 | |
| GDP growth (%) | +4.5 (2025) | 58th / 193 | +4.3 | |
| GNI per capita PPP (international dollars) | $1,390 (2025) | 188th / 190 | $25,266 | |
| Unemployment (%) | 6.3 (2025) | 70th / 179 | 5.1 | |
| Greenhouse gases per capita (t CO₂e) | 2.5 (2024) | 122nd / 186 | 6.3 | |
Sources: United Nations, World Population Prospects 2024 (after 2023 projections, dashed), and World Bank (the latest published figure, with the year in brackets if older). Rank among the 195 states. For regions the World Bank values are computed from the member countries.