Country profile · Sub-Saharan Africa · LIC
🇨🇫 Central African Republic
Low income. Capital Bangui. Lower-third GDP/cap (LIC · SHORT) - 40 series with wider survey lag risk.
- 5.3 million
- Population
- $2.8 billion
- GDP
- $516
- GDP / capita
- 57.7 years
- Life expectancy
Lower-third GDP/cap · SHORT
Central African Republic ranks 183rd of 217 by total GDP and 215th for life expectancy - a low income economy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- #183
- World GDP rank (of 217)
- $516
- GDP per capita
- #215
- Life-expectancy rank
- #121
- Population rank
Central African Republic lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#212 of 214) - LIC · SHORT - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Central African Republic vs all countries by total GDP
Where this economy's World Bank total GDP sits among every country with a positive observation (inventory signal, not a virtue ranking)
$2,751,494,281 183rd of 214 higher than 31 of 214 countries
Countries banded by World Bank total GDP (current US$)
Each bar is a $0.001K-wide band; taller bars hold more countries. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source World Bank, GDP (current US$) · 2026-08-14
Central African Republic on the global income map
Central African Republic (CAF) sits in the lower GDP/cap third - plotted with largest peers; bubble area = population.
- Central African Republic: GDP per capita $516 (2024), life expectancy 57.7 years (2024), low income.
- India: GDP per capita $2,695 (2024), life expectancy 72.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- China: GDP per capita $13,303 (2024), life expectancy 78.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United States: GDP per capita $84,534 (2024), life expectancy 78.9 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Indonesia: GDP per capita $4,925 (2024), life expectancy 71.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Pakistan: GDP per capita $1,479 (2024), life expectancy 67.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Nigeria: GDP per capita $1,084 (2024), life expectancy 54.6 years (2024), low income.
- Brazil: GDP per capita $10,311 (2024), life expectancy 76.0 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Bangladesh: GDP per capita $2,593 (2024), life expectancy 74.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Russian Federation: GDP per capita $14,889 (2024), life expectancy 73.4 years (2024), high income.
- Ethiopia: GDP per capita $1,134 (2024), life expectancy 67.6 years (2024), low income.
- Mexico: GDP per capita $14,186 (2024), life expectancy 75.3 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Japan: GDP per capita $32,487 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Egypt, Arab Rep.: GDP per capita $3,338 (2024), life expectancy 71.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Philippines: GDP per capita $3,985 (2024), life expectancy 69.9 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Congo, Dem. Rep.: GDP per capita $693 (2024), life expectancy 62.1 years (2024), low income.
- Viet Nam: GDP per capita $4,717 (2024), life expectancy 74.7 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Iran, Islamic Rep.: GDP per capita $5,190 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Turkiye: GDP per capita $15,893 (2024), life expectancy 77.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Germany: GDP per capita $56,104 (2024), life expectancy 80.8 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Thailand: GDP per capita $7,387 (2024), life expectancy 76.6 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- United Kingdom: GDP per capita $53,246 (2024), life expectancy 81.4 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Tanzania: GDP per capita $1,193 (2024), life expectancy 67.2 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- France: GDP per capita $46,103 (2024), life expectancy 83.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- South Africa: GDP per capita $6,267 (2024), life expectancy 66.3 years (2024), upper-middle income.
- Italy: GDP per capita $40,385 (2024), life expectancy 84.0 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Kenya: GDP per capita $2,133 (2024), life expectancy 63.8 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Myanmar: GDP per capita $1,359 (2024), life expectancy 67.1 years (2024), lower-middle income.
- Colombia: GDP per capita $7,951 (2024), life expectancy 77.9 years (2024), upper-middle income, OECD member.
- Korea, Rep.: GDP per capita $36,239 (2024), life expectancy 83.6 years (2024), high income, OECD member.
- Sudan: GDP per capita $985 (2024), life expectancy 66.5 years (2024), low income.
Overview
Central African Republic has a population of 5.3 million, making it the 121st-most populous country out of 217 tracked in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Its economy totals $2.8 billion - ranked 183rd globally by total GDP. GDP per capita stands at $516, placing it in the Low income category.
Life expectancy at birth is 57.7 years (ranked 215th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.
The capital is Bangui.
👥 Demographics
💰 Economy
🏥 Health
📚 Education
🌍 Environment
🏗️ Infrastructure
⚖️ Social
🌐 Livability Score
One composite verdict from 5 of 5 World Bank series (life expectancy, under-5 mortality, electricity access, clean-water access, homicide rate), each benchmarked against every country tracking that series. A missing series never silently drags the score down: its weight redistributes across the series Central African Republic does report.
All indicators for Central African Republic
40 latest observations from World Bank WDI, WHO GHO, and ILO ILOSTAT (vintage through 2026-08-14). Values match the topic cards above; this table is the machine-readable export view analysts expect on a country profile.
🫀 Disease Burden
Malaria still registers on Central African Republic (95.0 per 100,000 vs fleet midpoint 0.3). Profiles where that cell is zero drop the card entirely. Summary metrics use 2021 data; cause-specific cards show their own observation year.
Non-communicable Diseases
Communicable & Maternal
Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.
Compare Central African Republic with near GDP/cap peers
Side-by-side pages for the closest ABS GDP/cap neighbours - not a full-roster dropdown.
Read with Central African Republic
Nearest GDP/cap peers and LE poles for Central African Republic (LIC · SHORT), replacing the old fixed guide and region clone strip.
LIC SHORT
Malawi · LIC
Malawi GDP/cap $522 is higher by $6 than Central African Republic; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Madagascar · LIC
Madagascar GDP/cap $550 is higher by $34 than Central African Republic; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Afghanistan · LIC
Afghanistan GDP/cap $417 is lower by $99 than Central African Republic; LE stamp MID vs SHORT.
Somalia, Fed. Rep. · LIC
Somalia, Fed. Rep. GDP/cap $630 is higher by $113 than Central African Republic; LE stamp SHORT vs SHORT.
Sub-Saharan Africa WDI roster
Central African Republic stamps LIC · SHORT inside Sub-Saharan Africa - open the region roster after the ABS peers.
GDP/cap leaderboard (#212)
Central African Republic ranks #212 of 214 on NY.GDP.PCAP.CD under the LIC Atlas band.
What the data says about Central African Republic
Statistical infrastructure in low-income economies like Central African Republic typically relies more heavily on household surveys and modeled estimates than on continuous administrative registration, so several figures on this profile carry a wider margin of uncertainty and a longer lag between the reference year and today than a high-income country's data would. With a small population, a single survey round or a change in methodology can shift Central African Republic's reported figures noticeably from one release to the next, independent of any real change on the ground. Where a field on this page reads "N/A," it usually means the relevant international agency has not yet published a recent estimate for Central African Republic, not that the underlying condition doesn't exist.
Central African Republic lands in the lower third of GDP/cap (#212 of 214) - LIC · SHORT - so national averages need rural/urban caution.
Central African Republic's 5.3 million people and $2.8 billion GDP (183rd) yield $516 per person in the lower GDP/cap third. Life expectancy 57.7 years (215th, SHORT) and survey lag both matter when reading single-year cells. 40 official points sit in the tables.
Nearest ABS GDP/cap peer: Malawi at $522 (Δ $6). Open that profile or the GDP/cap leaderboard before treating any single year as destiny.
What to do with Central African Republic's numbers
Central African Republic is classified LIC with SHORT. Use that context before comparing any single figure to another country.
- Compare Central African Republic directly against any other country, side by side, on the indicators that matter to you. Compare countries
- See exactly where Central African Republic ranks among all 217 tracked countries on a specific indicator, not just the ones shown here. Indicator rank finder
- Learn the common mistakes people make citing country statistics before you quote a number from this page. Reading country profiles
Figures above are sourced from World Bank, WHO, and ILO (OECD where applicable) as cited below; always verify against the primary source before citing a specific number.
Source: World Bank Open Data, Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, Source: ILO ILOSTAT. World Bank and ILO data licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Disclaimer: This information is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or legal advice. See our full disclaimer and editorial policy.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced and computed.