Africa
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
The Central African Republic (CAR) is a perennially weak state that sits at the crossroads of ethnic and linguistic groups in the center of the African continent. Among the last areas of Sub-Saharan Africa to be drawn into the world economy, its introduction into trade networks around the early 1700s fostered significant competition among its population. The local population sought to benefit from the lucrative Atlantic, trans-Saharan, and Indian Ocean trade in enslaved people and ivory. Slave raids aided by the local populations fostered animosity between ethnic groups that remains today. The territory was established as a French colony named Ubangui-Shari in 1903, and France modeled its administration of the colony after the Belgian Congo, subcontracting control of the territory to private companies that collected rubber and ivory. Although France banned the domestic slave trade in CAR in the 1910s, the private companies continued to exploit the population through forced labor. The colony of Ubangi-Shari gained independence from France as the Central African Republic in 1960, but the death of independence leader Barthelemy BOGANDA six months prior led to an immediate struggle for power.
CARâs political history has since been marred by a series of coups, the first of which brought Jean-Bedel BOKASSA to power in 1966. Widespread corruption and intolerance for any political opposition characterized his regime. In an effort to prolong his mandate, BOKASSA named himself emperor in 1976 and changed the countryâs name to the Central African Empire. His regimeâs economic mismanagement culminated in widespread student protests in 1979 that were violently suppressed by security forces. BOKASSA fell out of favor with the international community and was overthrown in a French-backed coup in 1979. After BOKASSAâs departure, the countryâs name once again became the Central African Republic.
CARâs fifth coup in 2013 unseated President Francois BOZIZE after the Seleka, a mainly Muslim rebel coalition, seized the capital and forced BOZIZE to flee the country. The Seleka's widespread abuses spurred the formation of mainly Christian self-defense groups that called themselves the anti-Balaka, which have also committed human rights abuses against Muslim populations in retaliation. Since the rise of these groups, conflict in CAR has become increasingly ethnoreligious, although focused on identity rather than religious ideology. Elections in 2016 installed independent candidate Faustin-Archange TOUADERA as president; he was reelected in 2020. A peace agreement signed in 2019 between the government and the main armed factions has had little effect, and armed groups remain in control of large swaths of the country's territory. TOUADERA's United Hearts Movement has governed the country since 2016, and a new constitution approved by referendum on 30 July 2023 effectively ended term limits, creating the potential for TOUADERA to extend his rule.
Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
07°00' N, 21°00' E
Africa
Total : 622,984 km²
Land: 622,984 km²
Water: 0 km²
Slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia
Area comparison map:
Total: 5,920 km
Border countries (5): Cameroon 901 km; Chad 1556 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 487 km; South Sudan 1055 km; Sudan 174 km
0 km (landlocked)
None (landlocked)
Tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest
Highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m
Lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m
Mean elevation: 635 m
Diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
Agricultural land: 8.1% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 36.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 55.7% (2018 est.)
10 km² (2012)
Oubangui (Ubangi) river [s] (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo [m]) - 2,270 km
Note â [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 km²)
Congo Basin, Lake Chad Basin
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
Hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common
Landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa
Total: 5,650,957
Male: 2,814,497
Female: 2,836,460 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 119; male 117; total 117
Noun: Central African(s)
Adjective: Central African
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.)
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
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
The Central African Republicâs (CAR) humanitarian crisis has worsened since the coup of March 2013. CARâs high mortality rate and low life expectancy are attributed to elevated rates of preventable and treatable diseases (including malaria and malnutrition), an inadequate health care system, precarious food security, and armed conflict. Some of the worst mortality rates are in western CARâs diamond mining region, which has been impoverished because of government attempts to control the diamond trade and the fall in industrial diamond prices. To make matters worse, the government and international donors have reduced health funding in recent years. The CARâs weak educational system and low literacy rate have also suffered as a result of the countryâs ongoing conflict. Schools are closed, qualified teachers are scarce, infrastructure, funding, and supplies are lacking and subject to looting, and many students and teachers have been displaced by violence.
Rampant poverty, human rights violations, unemployment, poor infrastructure, and a lack of security and stability have led to forced displacement internally and externally. Since the political crisis that resulted in CARâs March 2013 coup began in December 2012, approximately 600,000 people have fled to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and other neighboring countries, while another estimated 515,000 were displaced internally as of December 2022. The UN has urged countries to refrain from repatriating CAR refugees amid the heightened lawlessness.
(2019)
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)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 102.8
Youth dependency ratio: 97.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.1
Potential support ratio: 19.7 (2021 est.)
Total: 20.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 19.7 years
Female: 21.2 years
1.76% (2024 est.)
31.9 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
11.3 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
-3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
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
Urban population: 43.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
958,000 BANGUI (capital) (2023)
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
835 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)
Total: 80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 86.4 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 74.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 56.4 years (2024 est.)
Male: 55.1 years
Female: 57.7 years
3.94 children born/woman (2024 est.)
1.94 (2024 est.)
17.8% (2019)
Improved: urban: 83.9% of population
Rural: 47.5% of population
Total: 62.9% of population
Unimproved: urban: 16.1% of population
Rural: 52.5% of population
Total: 37.1% of population (2020 est.)
9.4% of GDP (2020)
0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2018)
1 beds/1,000 population (2011)
Improved: urban: 53.8% of population
Rural: 12.4% of population
Total: 29.9% of population
Unimproved: urban: 46.2% of population
Rural: 87.6% of population
Total: 70.1% of population (2020 est.)
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and sexually transmitted diseases: HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B (2024)
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; the Central African Republic is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an âinfectedâ person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine
7.5% (2016)
Total: 0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer: 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine: 0.04 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.)
20.5% (2019)
64.7% (2023 est.)
Women married by age 15: 25.8%
Women married by age 18: 61%
Men married by age 18: 17.1% (2019 est.)
2.2% of GDP (2020 est.)
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 37.5%
Male: 49.2%
Female: 26.2% (2020)
Total: 7 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 6 years (2012)
Water pollution; tap water is not potable; poaching and mismanagement have diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation; soil erosion
Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
Signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers
Agricultural land: 8.1% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 36.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 55.7% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 43.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
Exceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to internal conflict and high food prices - according to the latest analysis, issued in November 2022, the number of people in Crisis and above is estimated at 2.7 million between September 2022 and March 2023; this is mainly attributed to the impact of civil insecurity and high food prices; persisting insecurity and population displacements continue to affect agricultural activities and limit farmersâ access to crop growing areas and agricultural inputs; elevated international prices of fuel and fertilizers, largely imported, have reportedly led to a lower use of agricultural inputs in 2022, especially among smallholder farmers, with a negative impact on yields (2023)
8.99% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Particulate matter emissions: 27.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.3 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 22.44 megatons (2020 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 1,105,983 tons (2014 est.)
Oubangui (Ubangi) river [s] (shared with Democratic Republic of Congo and Republic of Congo [m]) - 2,270 km
Note â [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Atlantic Ocean drainage: Congo (3,730,881 km²), (Mediterranean Sea) Nile (3,254,853 km²)
Internal (endorheic basin) drainage: Lake Chad (2,497,738 km²)
Congo Basin, Lake Chad Basin
Municipal: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)
141 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)
Conventional long form: Central African Republic
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Republique Centrale Africaine
Local short form: none
Former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
Abbreviation: CAR
Etymology: self-descriptive name specifying the country's location on the continent; "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent
Presidential republic
Name: Bangui
Geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: established as a French settlement in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River; the Ubangi itself was named from the native word for the "rapids" located beside the outpost, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville
14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga
13 August 1960 (from France)
Republic Day, 1 December (1958)
History: several previous; latest constitution passed by a national referendum on 30 July 2023 and validated by the Constitutional Court on 30 August 2023; note - the new constitution was proposed by President Faustin-Archange TouadĂŠra, extended the presidential term from 5 to 7 years, removed term limits, and will allow President TouadĂŠra to run again in 2025; opposition parties denounced the changes, claiming they were created to facilitate a "life precedency" for TouadĂŠra
Amendments: proposals require support of the government, two thirds of the National Council of Transition, and assent by the "Mediator of the Central African" crisis; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote by the National Council membership; non-amendable constitutional provisions include those on the secular and republican form of government, fundamental rights and freedoms, amendment procedures, or changes to the authorities of various high-level executive, parliamentary, and judicial officials
Civil law system based on the French model
Has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: least one parent must be a citizen of the Central African Republic
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 35 years
18 years of age; universal
Chief of state: President Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA (since 30 March 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister FĂŠlix MOLOUA (since 7 February 2022)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected for 5-year term; election last held 27 December 2020 (next to be held in December 2025); constitutional referendum in July 2023 removed term limits and institutes 7-year terms; note - presidential and partial legislative elections were held on 27 December 2020; voting was disrupted in some areas, delaying the first round of legislative elections until 14 March 2021; constituencies that did vote on 27 December 2020 held runoff elections for their legislators
Election results:
2020: Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA (independent) 53.9%, Anicet Georges DOLOGUELE (URCA) 21%, other 25.1%
2015: Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA elected president in the second round; percent of vote in first round - Anicet-Georges DOLOGUELE (URCA) 23.7%, Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA (independent) 19.1%, Desire KOLINGBA (RDC) 12%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 11.4%, other 33.8%; percent of vote in second round - Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA 62.7%, Anicet-Georges DOLOGUELE 37.3%
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (140 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held in December 2020 through July 2021 (next to be held 31 December 2025); note - on 27 December 2020, the day of first round elections, voting in many electoral areas was disrupted by armed groups; on 13 February 2021, President TOUADERA announced that new first round elections would be held on 27 February 2021 for those areas controlled by armed groups and the second round on 14 March 2021; ultimately, two additional rounds were held on 23 May and 25 July 2021 in areas that continued to suffer from election security problems
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MCU 63, MOUNI 9, URCA 7, MLPC 7, RDC 5, KNK 3, PATRIE 3, CDE 2, RDD 2, MDD 2, PGD 2, PAD 2, CANE 2, other 11, independent 20; composition - men 124, women 16, percentage women 11.4%; note - several members of other parties and independent candidates joined the MCU following the opening session of the National Assembly; as of 21 September 2021, the MCU held 86 seats
Highest court(s): Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, at least 3 of whom are women)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president; Constitutional Court judge appointments - 2 by the president, 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly, 2 elected by their peers, 2 are advocates elected by their peers, and 2 are law professors elected by their peers; judges serve 7-year non-renewable terms
Subordinate courts: high courts; magistrates' courts
Action Party for Development or PAD [Laurent GONDAB]
African Party for Radical Transformation and Integration of States or PATRIE [Crepin MBOLI-GOUMBA]
Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP
Be Africa ti e Kwe (also known as Central Africa for Us All or BTK) [HonorĂŠ DOUBA]
Central African Democratic Rally or RDC
Central African Party for Integrated Development or PCDI [TimolĂŠon MABIKIKOUA]
Democratic Movement for the Renewal and Evolution of Central Africa or MDREC [Joseph BENDOUNGA]
Kodro Ti Mo Kozo Si Movement or MKMKS [Jean-Serges BOKASSA]
Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [Louis PAPĂNIAH]
Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Martin ZIGUĂLĂ]
National Convergence (also known as Kwa Na Kwa or KNK) [Christian GUĂNĂBEM-DEDIZOUM]
National Movement of Independents or MOUNI [Thierry KAMACH]
National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Michel AMINE]
National Union of Republican Democrats or UNADER [Laurent GOMINA-PAMPALI]
New Impetus for Central Africa or CANE [Sylvain PATASSE]
Party for Democracy and Solidarity - KĂŠlĂŠmba or KPDS [AurĂŠlien Simplice ZINGAS]
Party for Democratic Governance or PGD [Jean-Michel MANDABA]
Path of Hope or CDE [Karim MECKASSOUA]
Renaissance for Sustainable Development or RDD [Augustin AGOU]
Socialist Party or PS [Martin PANOU]
Transformation Through Action Initiative or ITA [Dominique YANDOCKA]
Union for Central African Renewal or URCA [Anicet-Georges DOLOGUĂLĂ]
Union for Renaissance and Development or URD [Auguste BOUKANGA]
United Hearts Movement or MCU [Faustin-Archange TOUADĂRA]
ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country) (suspended), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band; banner combines the Pan-African and French flag colors; red symbolizes the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, blue represents the sky and freedom, white peace and dignity, green hope and faith, and yellow tolerance; the star represents aspiration towards a vibrant future
Elephant; national colors: blue, white, green, yellow, red
Name: "La Renaissance" (The Renaissance)
Lyrics/music: Barthelemy BOGANDA/Herbert PEPPER
Note: adopted 1960; Barthelemy BOGANDA wrote the anthem's lyrics and was the first prime minister of the autonomous French territory
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales: Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park; Sangha Trinational Forest
Enormous natural resources; extreme poverty; weak public institutions and infrastructure; political and gender-based violence have led to displacement of roughly 25% of population; Bangui-Douala corridor blockade reduced activity and tax collection; strong agricultural performance offset COVID-19 downturn
$5.849 billion (2023 est.)
$5.798 billion (2022 est.)
$5.769 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
0.87% (2023 est.)
0.5% (2022 est.)
0.98% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$1,000 (2023 est.)
$1,000 (2022 est.)
$1,100 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$2.555 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
2.98% (2023 est.)
5.58% (2022 est.)
4.26% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Agriculture: 43.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 16% (2017 est.)
Services: 40.8% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 208; industry 173; agriculture 6
Household consumption: 95.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 8.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 12% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -29.5% (2017 est.)
Cassava, groundnuts, yams, coffee, maize, sesame seeds, bananas, taro, sugarcane, beef (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, sugar refining
-10.28% (2023 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
2.114 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
6.29% (2023 est.)
6.34% (2022 est.)
6.68% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 11.8% (2021 est.)
Male: 10.6%
Female: 13.1%
68.8% (2021 est.)
Note: % of population with income below national poverty line
43 (2021 est.)
Note: index (0-100) of income distribution; higher values represent greater inequality
Lowest 10%: 2.1% (2021 est.)
Highest 10%: 33.1% (2021 est.)
Note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population
0% of GDP (2023 est.)
0% of GDP (2022 est.)
0% of GDP (2021 est.)
Revenues: $418 million (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $385 million (2019 est.)
-0.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
52.9% of GDP (2017 est.)
56% of GDP (2016 est.)
8.21% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
-$163 million (2017 est.)
-$97 million (2016 est.)
$293.074 million (2022 est.)
$332.869 million (2021 est.)
$353.021 million (2020 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars
UAE 40%, Italy 11%, Pakistan 10%, China 10%, France 6% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Gold, wood, diamonds, vehicle parts/accessories, electrical machinery (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$784.669 million (2022 est.)
$778.395 million (2021 est.)
$799.195 million (2020 est.)
Note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Cameroon 28%, US 8%, China 7%, France 6%, South Korea 5% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Refined petroleum, engines, aircraft, prefabricated buildings, packaged medicine (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$374.405 million (2022 est.)
$483.872 million (2021 est.)
$432.524 million (2020 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$779.9 million (31 December 2017 est.)
$691.5 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
606.57 (2023 est.)
623.76 (2022 est.)
554.531 (2021 est.)
575.586 (2020 est.)
585.911 (2019 est.)
Electrification - total population: 15.7% (2022 est.)
Electrification - urban areas: 34.7%
Electrification - rural areas: 1.6%
Installed generating capacity: 38,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 141.105 million kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 10 million kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 17; consumption 196; installed generating capacity 199
Fossil fuels: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Hydroelectricity: 99.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Imports: 0.7 metric tons (2022 est.)
Proven reserves: 3 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
316,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 316,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
881,000 Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 2,000 (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Total subscriptions: 1.831 million (2021 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (2021 est.)
General assessment: given the poor fixed-line infrastructure in most countries across Africa, voice and data services across the region are greatly dependent on mobile networks; in the majority of markets, including those with better developed fixed infrastructure such as South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya, up to 98% of all voice and data connections are via mobile networks; during the last two to three years, national governments and telecom regulators have striven to improve fixed infrastructure with the wider aim of developing economic growth based on digital services and connectivity; this work is principally focused on delivering fiber-based connectivity; since the amount of copper infrastructure (DSL or HFC) used for broadband is so negligible, governments and private firms, including telcos are investing in fiber rather than in older technologies; while supporting broadband to premises, health centers, and government buildings, the new fiber infrastructure is mainly being deployed to provide mobile platforms and to support the rapid growth in data traffic (2022)
Domestic: very limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-line connection per 100 persons; 34 per 100 mobile-cellular subscribers (2020)
International: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides limited domestic TV broadcasting; state-owned radio network is supplemented by a small number of privately owned broadcast stations as well as a few community radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2017)
.cf
Total: 605,000 (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 11% (2021 est.)
Total: 499 (2019 est.) Data available for 2019 only.
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.01 (2019 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 46,364 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 (2015) mt-km
TL
43 (2024)
Total: 24,000 km
Paved: 700 km
Unpaved: 23,300 km (2018)
2,800 km (2011) (the primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo; it was the traditional route for the export of products because it connected with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville; because of the warfare on both sides of the River Congo from 1997, importers and exporters preferred routes through Cameroon)
Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Army (includes an air squadron, Escadrille Centrafricaine)
Ministry of Interior: National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale), National Police (2023)
Note 1: the Special Republican Protection Group (Groupement SpĂŠcial ChargĂŠ de la Protection RĂŠpublicaine or GSPR) is part of the Army per a March 2022 decree, but reports to the president; the GSPR provides protection to the head of state
Note 2: in 2019-2021, the CAR established three Mixed Special Security units (UniteĚs SpeĚciales Mixtes de SeĚcuriteĚ or USMS), regionally based battalion-sized units comprised of about 40% government and 60% rebel soldiers formed to provide security along transportation corridors and at mining sites; the units were intended to be transitional in nature with a scheduled deployment time of two years; in addition, since mid-2021 the FACA have frequently recruited local militias, mostly former anti-balaka and seleka fighters, whom they pay to help track and attack rebels hiding in the bush
1.8% of GDP (2023 est.)
1.7% of GDP (2022 est.)
1.8% of GDP (2021 est.)
1.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
1.7% of GDP (2019 est.)
Estimates vary; up to 15,000 FACA troops; estimated 15-20,000 Gendarmerie and National Police (2023)
Most of the military's heavy weapons and equipment were destroyed or captured during the 2012â2014 civil war; prior to the war, most of its equipment was of French, Russian, or Soviet origin; in recent years, it has received some secondhand equipment from China and Russia, including light weapons, as well as some armored vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and helicopters (2023)
Note: since 2013, CAR has been under a UNSC arms embargo; the embargo bans all supplies of arms and related materiel to the country except to the CAR security forces if approved in advance by the relevant UN Sanctions Committee; in 2023, UNSC took a step towards relaxing the arms embargo by granting permission for weaponry to be supplied to government forces
18 years of age for military service; no conscription although the constitution provides for the possibility of conscription in the event of an imminent threat to the country (2023)
The 2013 coup resulted in the institutional collapse of the FACA; its forces were overwhelmed and forced to flee to neighboring countries; it has been estimated that only 10% of the FACA returned after the coup, and it has struggled to rebuild in the years of instability since, despite considerable foreign assistance; considerable portions of the country remain outside state control and are ungoverned, with the presence of multiple armed actors creating insecurity in much of the country
In late 2020 and early 2021, the Coalition des Patriotes pour le Change (CPC), a loose coalition of armed groups comprised largely of former Seleka and anti-Balaka fighters, attacked the capital Bangui; CAR Government forces, along with Russian private military contractors and Rwandan troops, repelled the attack while the CPC retreated to its rear bases and into neighboring countries and continued conducting attacks; as of 2023, the CAR Government claimed to have restored authority across much of the country, including the capital, although armed groups, including some not affiliated with CPC, continued to carry out violent activities in regions outside the capital, threatening local stability; forces on both sides have been accused of abuses and atrocities in the fighting
In 2018, the UN Security Council approved Russian security assistance for the CAR to help train and advise FACA personnel, as well as transport them to operational areas, provide logistical support, and assist with medical evacuation; in addition to teams of military trainers, Russia sent private military contractors to provide assistance to the FACA; the Russians have also performed other security roles such as guarding mines and government officials; some Russian contractors and the CAR forces they supported have been accused of carrying out indiscriminate killings, using excessive force against civilians, and looting
The UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) has operated in the country since 2014; its mission includes providing security, protecting civilians, facilitating humanitarian assistance, disarming and demobilizing armed groups, and supporting the countryâs fragile transitional government; as of early 2024, MINUSCA had more than 16,000 military and police personnel
The European Union Training Mission in the Central African Republic (EUTM-RCA) has operated in the country since 2016, providing advice, training, and educational programs to the country's security forces; the EU mission has trained five FACA territorial infantry battalions and one amphibious infantry battalion; France also provided assistance to the FACA before suspending its support in 2021 (2024)
Refugees (country of origin): 28,217 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 6,707 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2024)
IDPs: 490,868 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2023)