Afghanistan vs Central African Republic
Afghanistan is 5% larger than Central African Republic.
AfghanistanCentral African RepublicAfghanistan moved onto Central African Republic · Equal-area projection
1.05×
Afghanistan is 1.05× the area of Central African Republic.
 Afghanistan |  Central African Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAfghanistan: 1.05× the area | 652,230 km²#40 of 194 | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationAfghanistan: 7.95× the population | 43,844,111#36 of 194 · 2025 | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityAfghanistan: 7.6× the density | 67 / km²#119 of 194 | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 |
| Urban populationCentral African Republic: 1.72× the urban share | 26%#179 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.25× the births per woman | 4.76 per woman#9 of 192 · 2024 | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 0.60 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.32× the birth rate | 35.0 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2024 | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.65× the death rate | 5.7 per 1,000#148 of 192 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 6.1 points higher | 42.6%#11 of 192 · 2025 | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Afghanistan: 0.2 points higher | 2.4%#185 of 192 · 2025 | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationAfghanistan: 1.0 per 1,000 higher | −1.7 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2025 | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 2.01× the refugees for its size | 60.93 per 1,000#6 of 190 · 2025 | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyAfghanistan: 8.6 years longer | 66.3 years#158 of 192 · 2024 | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.22× the infant mortality | 48.3 per 1,000 births#13 of 191 · 2024 | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsAfghanistan: 4.57× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2023 | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 10.9%#128 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexAfghanistan: 0.082 higher | 0.496#178 of 190 · 2023 | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCentral African Republic: 1.44× the income per person | $390#184 of 185 · 2024 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPAfghanistan: 5.8× the economy | $17.78B2024 | $3.07B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Afghanistan: 1.7× the output per person | $2,236#174 of 184 · 2024 | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 2.6 points higher | +1.9%#134 of 187 · 2024 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCentral African Republic: 7.6 points higher | −6.6%#176 of 176 · 2024 | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentAfghanistan: 2.13× the unemployment | 13.4%#20 of 178 · 2025 | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 14.5 points higher | 51.6% of jobs#23 of 178 · 2025 | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryAfghanistan: 5.5 points higher | 18.9% of jobs#90 of 178 · 2025 | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesAfghanistan: 9.0 points higher | 29.5% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCentral African Republic: 1.3 points higher | 0.1% of GDP#158 of 184 · 2021 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCentral African Republic: 3.6 points higher | 15.7% of GDP#146 of 168 · 2024 | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 1.27× the military spending | 1.8% of GDP#75 of 155 · 2021 | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersAfghanistan: 1.17× the share online | 16%#178 of 184 · 2024 | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsAfghanistan: 1.54× the mobile subscriptions | 60 per 100#176 of 191 · 2024 | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 18.8× the forest share | 2% of land#172 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personAfghanistan: 4.67× the CO₂ per person | 0.28 t a year#164 of 185 · 2024 | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 70.9 points higher | 20.0%#107 of 190 · 2022 | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityAfghanistan: 69.6 points higher | 87.8%#143 of 192 · 2024 | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Afghanistan: 1.14× the air pollution | 37.9 µg/m³#26 of 191 · 2023 | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCentral African Republic: 11.2 points higher | 3.6% of land#174 of 191 · 2025 | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landAfghanistan: 9.1 points higher | 12.0% of land#84 of 190 · 2024 | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressAfghanistan: 183× the water stress | 54.8%#33 of 176 · 2022 | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 4.11× the rain and snow | 327 mm#152 of 180 · 2022 | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCentral African Republic: 0.35 higher | −2.04#186 of 193 · 2025 | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionAfghanistan: 0.01 higher | −1.31#173 of 193 · 2025 | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCentral African Republic: 5.03× the homicide rate | 4.0 per 100,000#57 of 146 · 2021 | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Theocracytheocratic; the United States does not recognize the Taliban Government | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Kabul | Bangui |
| Currency | Afghani (AFN) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | Arabic, Pashto, Uzbek, Turkmen, Dari, Balochi, Nuristani, Pamir, Pashayi | French, Sango |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+4:30 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +93 | +236 |
| Region | Southern Asia, Asia | Middle Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Afghanistan sits at about 34° N and is stretched to 1.45× its true area; Central African Republic at 7° N is stretched to 1.01×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Afghanistan bigger than Central African Republic?
- Yes. Afghanistan is 5% larger than Central African Republic. Afghanistan covers 652,230 km² and Central African Republic covers 622,984 km².
- How many times does Central African Republic fit into Afghanistan?
- About 1.0 times: Afghanistan has 1.05× the area of Central African Republic.
- Why do Afghanistan and Central African Republic look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Afghanistan is drawn about 1.45× its true area there and Central African Republic about 1.01×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Afghanistan or Central African Republic?
- Afghanistan: 43,844,111 people against 5,513,282. Density: Afghanistan 67 per km², Central African Republic 8.8 per km².
- Which is richer, Afghanistan or Central African Republic?
- By gross national income per person, Central African Republic: $560 against $390 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 1.44× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Afghanistan or Central African Republic?
- In Afghanistan: life expectancy at birth is 66.3 years, against 57.7 — 8.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Afghanistan and Central African Republic have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Afghanistan: theocracy; Central African Republic: presidential republic.