Botswana vs Central African Republic
Central African Republic is 7% larger than Botswana.
BotswanaCentral African RepublicBotswana moved onto Central African Republic · Equal-area projection
0.93×
Botswana is 0.93× the area of Central African Republic. Put the other way, Central African Republic is 1.07× the size of Botswana.
 Botswana |  Central African Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCentral African Republic: 1.07× the area | 581,737 km²#47 of 194 | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCentral African Republic: 2.15× the population | 2,562,122#141 of 194 · 2025 | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCentral African Republic: 2.01× the density | 4.4 / km²#186 of 194 | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 |
| Urban populationBotswana: 1.52× the urban share | 68%#81 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 2.2× the births per woman | 2.70 per woman#62 of 192 · 2024 | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 1.76 points higher | +1.61%#63 of 192 · 2025 | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.89× the birth rate | 24.4 per 1,000#53 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: 16.7 points higher | 32.0%#58 of 192 · 2025 | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Botswana: 1.9 points higher | 4.1%#139 of 192 · 2025 | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationBotswana: 0.5 per 1,000 higher | −2.2 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2025 | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 815× the refugees for its size | 0.15 per 1,000#110 of 190 · 2025 | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyBotswana: 11.6 years longer | 69.3 years#135 of 192 · 2024 | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.83× the infant mortality | 32.1 per 1,000 births#42 of 191 · 2024 | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsBotswana: 5.43× the doctors per person | 0.38 per 1,000#133 of 178 · 2023 | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 21.4%#112 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexBotswana: 0.317 higher | 0.731#110 of 190 · 2023 | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaBotswana: 13.2× the income per person | $7,390#93 of 185 · 2025 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPBotswana: 6.5× the economy | $19.93B2025 | $3.07B2025 |
| Income group | Upper-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Botswana: 15.8× the output per person | $20,698#91 of 184 · 2025 | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 5.2 points higher | −0.7%#178 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationBotswana: 1.7 points higher | +2.7%#96 of 176 · 2025 | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentBotswana: 3.89× the unemployment | 24.5%#4 of 178 · 2025 | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 3.35× the share in extreme poverty | 21.4%#34 of 149 · 2015 | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Botswana: 11.9 higher | 54.9#2 of 149 · 2015 | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 48.1 points higher | 18.0% of jobs#83 of 178 · 2025 | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryBotswana: 2.4 points higher | 15.8% of jobs#133 of 178 · 2025 | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesBotswana: 45.7 points higher | 66.2% of jobs#66 of 178 · 2025 | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCentral African Republic: 4.7 points higher | -3.3% of GDP#180 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsBotswana: 12.7 points higher | 32.0% of GDP#93 of 168 · 2025 | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingBotswana: 1.33× the military spending | 3.1% of GDP#28 of 155 · 2025 | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersBotswana: 4.17× the share online | 58%#138 of 184 · 2024 | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsBotswana: 4.21× the mobile subscriptions | 164 per 100#17 of 191 · 2024 | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 1.28× the forest share | 28% of land#105 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personBotswana: 45.7× the CO₂ per person | 2.74 t a year#87 of 185 · 2024 | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 63.5 points higher | 27.4%#88 of 190 · 2021 | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityBotswana: 62.0 points higher | 80.2%#148 of 192 · 2024 | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Central African Republic: 2.52× the air pollution | 13.2 µg/m³#133 of 191 · 2023 | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landBotswana: 12.8 points higher | 27.6% of land#45 of 191 · 2025 | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCentral African Republic: 2.4 points higher | 0.5% of land#182 of 190 · 2024 | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressBotswana: 7.33× the water stress | 2.2%#143 of 176 · 2022 | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 3.23× the rain and snow | 416 mm#149 of 180 · 2022 | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityBotswana: 2.77 higher | +1.08#29 of 193 · 2025 | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionBotswana: 1.91 higher | +0.59#52 of 193 · 2025 | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCentral African Republic: 1.76× the homicide rate | 11.4 per 100,000#25 of 146 · 2021 | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Parliamentary republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Gaborone | Bangui |
| Currency | Botswana pula (BWP) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | English | French, Sango |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +267 | +236 |
| Region | Southern Africa, Africa | 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. Botswana sits at about 22° S and is stretched to 1.17× 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 Botswana bigger than Central African Republic?
- No. Botswana is 7% smaller than Central African Republic. Botswana covers 581,737 km² and Central African Republic covers 622,984 km².
- How many times does Botswana fit into Central African Republic?
- About 1.1 times: Central African Republic has 1.07× the area of Botswana.
- Why do Botswana and Central African Republic look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Botswana is drawn about 1.17× 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, Botswana or Central African Republic?
- Central African Republic: 5,513,282 people against 2,562,122. Density: Botswana 4.4 per km², Central African Republic 8.8 per km².
- Which is richer, Botswana or Central African Republic?
- By gross national income per person, Botswana: $7,390 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 13.2× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Botswana or Central African Republic?
- In Botswana: life expectancy at birth is 69.3 years, against 57.7 — 11.6 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Botswana and Central African Republic have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Botswana: parliamentary republic; Central African Republic: presidential republic.