World Factbook
Central African Republic
République centrafricaine
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
59.8% (2019 est.)
female
27.1% (2019 est.)
total population
42.4% (2019 est.)
Languages
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Religions
Roman Catholic 34.6%, Protestant 15.7%, other Christian 22.9%, Muslim 13.8%, ethnic religionist 12%, Baha'i 0.2%, agnostic/atheist 0.7% (2020 est.)
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.97 male(s)/female
total population
0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.79 male(s)/female
Birth rate
31.49 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
11.04 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
19.7 years
total
20.6 years (2025 est.)
female
21.2 years
Population
male
2,864,870
total
5,750,570 (2025 est.)
female
2,885,700
Nationality
noun
Central African(s)
adjective
Central African
Urbanization
urban population
43.6% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
38.5% (male 1,113,795/female 1,063,971)
15-64 years
58% (male 1,613,770/female 1,662,522)
65 years and over
3.5% (2024 est.) (male 86,932/female 109,967)
Ethnic groups
Baya 28.8%, Banda 22.9%, Mandjia 9.9%, Sara 7.9%, M'Baka-Bantu 7.9%, Arab-Fulani (Peuhl) 6%, Mbum 6%, Ngbanki 5.5%, Zande-Nzakara 3%, other Central African Republic ethnic groups 2%, non-Central African Republic ethnic groups .1% (2003 est.)
Child marriage
men married by age 18
17.1% (2019)
women married by age 15
25.8% (2019)
women married by age 18
61% (2019)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
71.7 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
65.7 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
16.6 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
6 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2023)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
9.1% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
9% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.89 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 27.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 36.3% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 48.1% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 72.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 63.7% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 51.9% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
1.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
10% national budget (2023 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
86.4 deaths/1,000 live births
total
79.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
74.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
1.74% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
1.92 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui, as shown in this population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
55.1 years
female
57.7 years
total population
56.4 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
692 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 12.4% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 30.2% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 53.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 87.6% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 69.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 46.5% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
958,000 BANGUI (capital) (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
7.5% (2016)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
65.4% (2019 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
18.4% (2022 est.)