Central African Republic vs Congo
Central African Republic is 82% larger than Congo. Congo would fit into Central African Republic about 1.8 times.
Central African RepublicCongoCentral African Republic moved onto Congo · Equal-area projection
1.82×
Central African Republic is 1.82× the area of Congo.
 Central African Republic |  Congo | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCentral African Republic: 1.82× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 342,000 km²#65 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 5 |
| People | ||
| PopulationCongo: 1.18× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 6,484,437#110 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityCongo: 2.14× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 19 / km²#169 of 194 |
| Urban populationCongo: 1.44× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 64%#92 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.45× the births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 1.01 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +2.36%#31 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.52× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 30.4 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.52× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 8.8 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 39.9%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Congo: 0.9 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationCongo: 2.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 60.2× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 2.03 per 1,000#42 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyCongo: 8.3 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 66.0 years#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 2.18× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 27.0 per 1,000 births#54 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCongo: 2.43× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexCongo: 0.235 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.649#135 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaCongo: 4.07× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $2,280#144 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPCongo: 5.32× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $16.31B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Congo: 5.52× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $7,248#140 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 1.4 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCongo: 1.4 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCongo: 3.16× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 19.9%#6 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: 29.7 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 36.4% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCongo: 6.1 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 19.5% of jobs#84 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCongo: 23.7 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 44.2% of jobs#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentCongo: 2.3 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsCongo: 28.7 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 1.78× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersCongo: 3.43× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 47%#146 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsCongo: 2.46× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 96 per 100#135 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCongo: 1.79× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 64% of land#21 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personCongo: 22.3× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 1.34 t a year#118 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 19.5 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCongo: 34.8 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 53.0%#175 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Congo: 1.1× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 36.5 µg/m³#29 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCongo: 21.8 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 36.6% of land#21 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landCentral African Republic: 1.3 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 0.0%#176 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCongo: 1.23× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 1,646 mm#49 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCongo: 1.20 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.49#138 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCentral African Republic: 0.10 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.42#180 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 |
| Member of | — | OPEC |
| Capital | Bangui | Brazzaville |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Central African CFA franc (XAF) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 |
| Calling code | +236 | +242 |
| 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; Congo at 1° S is stretched to 1.0×. 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 Congo?
- Yes. Central African Republic is 82% larger than Congo. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and Congo covers 342,000 km².
- How many times does Congo fit into Central African Republic?
- About 1.8 times: Central African Republic has 1.82× the area of Congo.
- Why do Central African Republic and Congo 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 Congo about 1.0×. 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 Congo?
- Congo: 6,484,437 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², Congo 19 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or Congo?
- By gross national income per person, Congo: $2,280 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 4.07× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or Congo?
- In Congo: life expectancy at birth is 66.0 years, against 57.7 — 8.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and Congo have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).