Cameroon vs Central African Republic
Central African Republic is 31% larger than Cameroon.
CameroonCentral African RepublicCameroon moved onto Central African Republic · Equal-area projection
0.76×
Cameroon is 0.76× the area of Central African Republic. Put the other way, Central African Republic is 1.31× the size of Cameroon.
 Cameroon |  Central African Republic | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCentral African Republic: 1.31× the area | 475,442 km²#52 of 194 | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCameroon: 5.42× the population | 29,879,337#51 of 194 · 2025 | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCameroon: 7.1× the density | 63 / km²#122 of 194 | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 |
| Urban populationCameroon: 1.25× the urban share | 56%#121 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.4× the births per woman | 4.26 per woman#16 of 192 · 2024 | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 0.81 points higher | +2.56%#22 of 192 · 2025 | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.39× the birth rate | 33.3 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.34× the death rate | 7.0 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 7.6 points higher | 41.1%#16 of 192 · 2025 | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Cameroon: 0.6 points higher | 2.8%#175 of 192 · 2025 | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCameroon: 2.2 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 26× the refugees for its size | 4.70 per 1,000#28 of 190 · 2025 | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCameroon: 6.3 years longer | 64.0 years#169 of 192 · 2024 | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.46× the infant mortality | 40.2 per 1,000 births#26 of 191 · 2024 | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCameroon: 2.0× the doctors per person | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2022 | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | 16.7%#118 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexCameroon: 0.174 higher | 0.588#152 of 190 · 2023 | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCameroon: 3.32× the income per person | $1,860#152 of 185 · 2025 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCameroon: 19.2× the economy | $58.93B2025 | $3.07B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Cameroon: 4.4× the output per person | $5,788#148 of 184 · 2025 | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 1.3 points higher | +3.2%#93 of 187 · 2025 | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCameroon: 2.4 points higher | +3.4%#78 of 176 · 2025 | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCentral African Republic: 1.75× the unemployment | 3.6%#119 of 178 · 2025 | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 2.68× the share in extreme poverty | 26.7%#29 of 149 · 2021 | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Central African Republic: 0.8 higher | 42.2#29 of 149 · 2021 | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 24.2 points higher | 41.9% of jobs#37 of 178 · 2025 | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCameroon: 1.2 points higher | 14.6% of jobs#140 of 178 · 2025 | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCameroon: 23.0 points higher | 43.5% of jobs#141 of 178 · 2025 | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCentral African Republic: 0.4 points higher | 1.0% of GDP#126 of 184 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCentral African Republic: 6.2 points higher | 13.1% of GDP#155 of 168 · 2025 | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 2.2× the military spending | 1.1% of GDP#109 of 155 · 2025 | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCameroon: 3.36× the share online | 46%#147 of 184 · 2024 | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCameroon: 2.77× the mobile subscriptions | 108 per 100#114 of 191 · 2024 | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCameroon: 1.14× the forest share | 41% of land#66 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 |
| CO₂ per personCameroon: 5.83× the CO₂ per person | 0.35 t a year#157 of 185 · 2024 | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 11.7 points higher | 79.2%#19 of 190 · 2021 | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityCameroon: 53.8 points higher | 72.0%#153 of 192 · 2024 | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Cameroon: 1.67× the air pollution | 55.6 µg/m³#10 of 191 · 2023 | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCentral African Republic: 3.8 points higher | 11.0% of land#140 of 191 · 2025 | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCameroon: 10.2 points higher | 13.1% of land#79 of 190 · 2024 | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressCameroon: 5.33× the water stress | 1.6%#153 of 176 · 2022 | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCameroon: 1.19× the rain and snow | 1,604 mm#51 of 180 · 2022 | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityThe same | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCameroon: 0.12 higher | −1.20#166 of 193 · 2025 | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCentral African Republic: 2.96× the homicide rate | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2022 | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Yaounde | Bangui |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | English, French | French, Sango |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +237 | +236 |
| Region | Middle 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. Cameroon sits at about 6° N and is stretched to 1.01× 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 Cameroon bigger than Central African Republic?
- No. Cameroon is 24% smaller than Central African Republic. Cameroon covers 475,442 km² and Central African Republic covers 622,984 km².
- How many times does Cameroon fit into Central African Republic?
- About 1.3 times: Central African Republic has 1.31× the area of Cameroon.
- Why do Cameroon and Central African Republic look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Cameroon is drawn about 1.01× 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, Cameroon or Central African Republic?
- Cameroon: 29,879,337 people against 5,513,282. Density: Cameroon 63 per km², Central African Republic 8.8 per km².
- Which is richer, Cameroon or Central African Republic?
- By gross national income per person, Cameroon: $1,860 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.32× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Cameroon or Central African Republic?
- In Cameroon: life expectancy at birth is 64.0 years, against 57.7 — 6.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Cameroon and Central African Republic have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).