Polity · 1961 CE – present
Central African Republic
Republique Centrafricaine · Ködörösêse tî Bêafrîka · République centrafricaine
- Peak recorded area
- 618,631 km²
- 1906 CE
- Rulers on record
- 8
- from 1960 CE
- Data series
- 365
- 1961 CE–2025 CE
Overview
The Central African Republic is a landlocked country located in Central Africa. It is bordered by Chad to the north, Sudan to the northeast, South Sudan to the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the south, the Republic of the Congo to the southwest, and Cameroon to the west. The Central African Republic covers a land area of about 620,000 square kilometres (240,000 sq mi). As of 2024, it has a population of 5,357,744, consisting of about 80 ethnic groups.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
4 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated. Cliopatria holds 3 further extents, measured on a different basis and deliberately not merged into this series.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 56 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population216 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 5.5Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 57.9years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -14.7Kpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 3.34% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 59.8years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 55.73years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 146 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP200 obs · 1820 CE–2019 CE | 694.5int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd106 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 3.1Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 596.392011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Gross Capital Formation % GDP65 obs · 1960 CE–2024 CE | 23.64%_gdp2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Cattle Stocks64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 4.9Mhead2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Cereals Area Harvested64 obs · 1961 CE–2024 CE | 358.8Kha2024 CE · FAOSTAT |
Military
6 of 27 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| CINC Score57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0.0003CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 645Kcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 7,000persons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure % GDP56 obs · 1991 CE–2024 CE | 2.52% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| Military Expenditure51 obs · 1960 CE–2011 CE | 54Mcurrent USD2011 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 56 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 2.89% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 35.66% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 9.1%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.3494hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 5.7Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
| Fao Arable Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.8Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 29 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index105 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 0.302index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index105 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 0.137index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type105 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index105 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 0.101index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index103 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 0.1index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity253 obs · 1960 CE–2012 CE | -1index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 51 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index105 obs · 1920 CE–2024 CE | 0.615index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10051 obs · 1960 CE–2022 CE | 38.82per_1002022 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 42%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Measles Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 41%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Tech Electricity Production45 obs · 1954 CE–1998 CE | 107MGWh1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Fertilizer Use41 obs · 1961 CE–2001 CE | 600metric tons2001 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
Rulers
8 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- David DackoHead of State1960 CE – 1966 CE
- Jean-Bedel BokassaHead of State1966 CE – 1976 CE
- Catherine Samba-PanzaHead of State2014 CE – 2016 CE
- Faustin-Archange TouadéraHead of State2016 CE –
- Simplice SarandjiHead of Government2016 CE – 2019 CE
- Firmin NgrébadaHead of Government2019 CE – 2021 CE
- Henri-Marie DondraHead of Government2021 CE – 2022 CE
- Félix MolouaHead of Government2022 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Faustin-Archange TOUADÉRA (since 30 March 2016); head of government: Prime Minister Félix MOLOUA (since 7 February 2022); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president; election/appointment process: current president was directly elected for 5-year term;
- 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.)
- Natural resources
- diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower
- Economy
- 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
Language & currency
- Currency
- Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1960 CE –
- 4-member Defense Pact (1960)Military alliance · member1960 CE – 1976 CE
- 14-member Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1964 CE
- Central African Republic–Chad–Congo Defense Pact (1968)Military alliance · member1968 CE – 1968 CE
- Central African Republic–Congo Defense Pact (1998)Military alliance · member1998 CE –
- 11-member Defense Pact (2000)Military alliance · member2000 CE –
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · founding member2002 CE –
- 11-member Defense Pact (2006)Military alliance · member2006 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Central African Republic is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.