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Where you could be born / Africa / Middle Africa

Born in Central African Republic

About 1 in 553 people born in 2023 started life in Central African Republic. A boy can expect to live 55 years and a girl 59, up from 34 and 37 in 1950. Fewer than half of people live in cities, and 36% have basic drinking water.

1 in 553
odds of being born here
238,900 births · Ranked 80th of 230
55 / 59
years of life, boys / girls
Was 34 / 37 in 1950
$1,008
income per person a year
2021 dollars · Ranked 198th of 203 · extrapolated
44%
live in a city
Most live in villages

Life and health

Life lasts about 22 years longer than in 1950. Child deaths fell from 318 in every 1,000 births to 95.

How long a life lasts

GirlsBoys

020406080195019852023

Years a baby born that year could expect to live.

Children who die before age 5
0200400600195019852023

In every 1,000 births.

Life expectancy at birth55.3 years for boys, 59.3 for girlsUN WPP 2024
Children who die before age 594.5 in every 1,000 birthsUN WPP 2024
Deaths a year49,000UN WPP 2024
Doctors per 1,000 people0.1World Bank WDI
Children immunized against measles39%World Bank WDI
Adults living with HIV2.5%World Bank WDI
New tuberculosis cases a year428 per 100,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI
Malaria cases a year346 per 1,000 people at riskWorld Bank WDI

Family

Women had 5.9 children on average in 1950. Now it is 6.0.

Children per woman
02468195019852023

Average over a lifetime.

Children per woman6.01UN WPP 2024
Average age of mothers at birth29.0 yearsUN WPP 2024

Money and work

If every 100 coins of income were shared out, the richest fifth would hold 49 and the poorest fifth 6.

Who gets the income
Share of all income by fifth of the population, 2021
6%Poorest fifth
10%Second
14%Middle
21%Fourth
49%Richest fifth
Income per personabout $1,008 a year (2021 dollars, adjusted for prices)World Bank PIP, scaled between survey years Extrapolated
Share of income going to the richest fifth / poorest fifth49% / 6% (2021)World Bank PIP
Unemployment6.2% of the workforce (2023)World Bank WDI
Price rises3.0% a year (2023)World Bank WDI
Growth in output per person-0.4% (2023)World Bank WDI
Jobs in farming66% of jobsWorld Bank WDI
Self-employed85% of jobs (2025)World Bank WDI
Secondary school enrolment16% (can pass 100 when older students are counted)World Bank WDI

Daily life

The largest city is Bangui, with 812,407 people.

44%
live in cities
18%
have electricity at home
36%
have basic drinking water
Largest cities
People living there
Bangui812,407
Bimbo348,802
Bégoua264,067
Carnot129,032
Berbérati103,713
Languages
Share of people who can use each
Sango49%
French29%
Sango, French is official.

Cities and regions

Every state, province and large city with a page.

Largest regions

Bangui812,407
Ombella-M'Poko669,872
Ouaka147,923
Nana-Mambéré143,551
Mambéré129,032
Mambéré-Kadéï103,713
Ouham-Fafa59,718
Ouham-Pendé57,083
Ouham55,353
Nana-Grébizi55,047

Sourced: GeoNames Population of each state, province or region.

All 19 regions
  • Bangui812,407
  • Ombella-M'Poko669,872
  • Ouaka147,923
  • Nana-Mambéré143,551
  • Mambéré129,032
  • Mambéré-Kadéï103,713
  • Ouham-Fafa59,718
  • Ouham-Pendé57,083
  • Ouham55,353
  • Nana-Grébizi55,047
  • Mbomou54,059
  • Kémo51,625
  • Lim-Pendé47,703
  • Haute-Kotto47,226
  • Lobaye38,353
  • Basse-Kotto32,588
  • Sangha-Mbaéré31,923
  • Bamingui-Bangoran27,071
  • Haut-Mbomou17,829

People on the move

About 17% as many people born here live abroad as live here. The most common destinations are DR Congo, Cameroon, Chad.

Where people born here live abroad
By country of residence, 2024
DR Congo368,125
Cameroon336,349
Chad115,460
Residents born abroad1.8% (2024)World Bank WDI
People born here who live abroadequal to 17.0% of the people who live hereUN DESA migrant stock
Where they go mostDR Congo (368,125), Cameroon (336,349), Chad (115,460)UN DESA migrant stock
Money sent home from abroadabout $158,919 a year (1993)World Bank WDI

Safety nets

5% of older people receive a pension.

5%
of older people receive a pension (2019)

Events in the data

The game draws real events from these records, so a life lived here can meet them.

Reported COVID-19 deaths, 2020 to 2024113Our World in Data, from WHO
Deaths in organized violence15,808 between 2001 and 2024UCDP

Now live it.

Born in Central African Republic, to a family drawn from these numbers. Every life replays exactly from its seed.

Be born in Central African Republic

Elsewhere in Africa

All countries

How to read the sources. Every figure is sourced to a named dataset, shown beside it. A figure marked "Extrapolated" is estimated by a model because no survey covers the year. UN figures are for 2023, the latest year of UN estimates; other figures are the latest year their dataset has. Rank 1 is the highest figure among 230 countries and territories. All sources and licences