Central African Republic vs Chad
Chad is 2.06 times larger than Central African Republic. Central African Republic would fit into Chad about 2.1 times.
Central African RepublicChadCentral African Republic moved onto Chad · Equal-area projection
0.49×
Central African Republic is 0.49× the area of Chad. Put the other way, Chad is 2.06× the size of Central African Republic.
 Central African Republic |  Chad | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaChad: 2.06× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 1,284,000 km²#20 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationChad: 3.81× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 21,003,705#64 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityChad: 1.85× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 16 / km²#177 of 194 |
| Urban populationCentral African Republic: 1.62× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 28%#175 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 6.03 per woman#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthChad: 0.04 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +3.41%#6 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.07× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 43.3 per 1,000#2 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChad: 1.18× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 11.1 per 1,000#24 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 2.7 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 46.0%#4 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Central African Republic: 0.1 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 2.1%#189 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCentral African Republic: 3.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −5.9 per 1,000#175 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 168× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 0.73 per 1,000#67 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCentral African Republic: 2.5 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 55.2 years#191 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.04× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 56.3 per 1,000 births#10 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChad: 1.29× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 0.09 per 1,000#168 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 4.4%#142 of 145 · 2020 |
| Human Development IndexChad: 0.002 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.416#187 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChad: 1.73× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $970#171 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChad: 7.0× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $21.47B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Chad: 2.21× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $2,903#172 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthChad: 1.1 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +5.6%#38 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCentral African Republic: 4.9 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | −3.9%#173 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCentral African Republic: 5.73× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 1.1%#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 1.81× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 39.5%#20 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Central African Republic: 5.6 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 37.4#56 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureChad: 5.6 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 71.7% of jobs#4 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCentral African Republic: 4.9 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 8.5% of jobs#162 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCentral African Republic: 0.7 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 19.8% of jobs#176 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCentral African Republic: 1.4 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 0.0% of GDP#162 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsChad: 10.1 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 29.4% of GDP#105 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingChad: 1.37× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 3.2% of GDP#26 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCentral African Republic: 1.1× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 13%#182 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChad: 1.87× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 73 per 100#155 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 11.9× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 3% of land#170 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChad: 2.33× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 0.14 t a year#177 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 20.9 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 70.0%#29 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityCentral African Republic: 4.8 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 13.4%#191 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Chad: 1.29× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 43.0 µg/m³#18 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landChad: 6.2 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 21.0% of land#78 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landChad: 1.3 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 4.2% of land#135 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressChad: 14.3× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 4.3%#126 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 4.17× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 322 mm#153 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChad: 0.12 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.57#174 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCentral African Republic: 0.02 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.34#177 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Bangui | N'Djamena |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | French, Arabic |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +236 | +235 |
| 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. Central African Republic sits at about 7° N and is stretched to 1.01× its true area; Chad at 15° N is stretched to 1.07×. 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 Central African Republic bigger than Chad?
- No. Central African Republic is 2.06 times smaller than Chad. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and Chad covers 1,284,000 km².
- How many times does Central African Republic fit into Chad?
- About 2.1 times: Chad has 2.06× the area of Central African Republic.
- Why do Central African Republic and Chad look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Central African Republic is drawn about 1.01× its true area there and Chad about 1.07×. 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, Central African Republic or Chad?
- Chad: 21,003,705 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², Chad 16 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or Chad?
- By gross national income per person, Chad: $970 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.73× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or Chad?
- In Central African Republic: life expectancy at birth is 57.7 years, against 55.2 — 2.5 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and Chad have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).