Central African Republic vs DR Congo
DR Congo is 3.76 times larger than Central African Republic. Central African Republic would fit into DR Congo about 3.8 times.
Central African RepublicDR CongoCentral African Republic moved onto DR Congo · Equal-area projection
0.27×
Central African Republic is 0.27× the area of DR Congo. Put the other way, DR Congo is 3.76× the size of Central African Republic.
 Central African Republic |  DR Congo | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaDR Congo: 3.76× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 2,344,858 km²#11 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 9 |
| People | ||
| PopulationDR Congo: 20.5× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 112,832,473#15 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityDR Congo: 5.44× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 48 / km²#136 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 45%#138 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateAbout the same births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 5.98 per woman#3 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 0.17 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +3.20%#10 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.13× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 40.9 per 1,000#5 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.12× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#66 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 2.8 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 45.9%#5 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65DR Congo: 0.9 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationDR Congo: 2.5 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 11.7× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 10.43 per 1,000#18 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyDR Congo: 4.4 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 62.1 years#179 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.04× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 56.4 per 1,000 births#9 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsDR Congo: 3.0× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 6.4%#137 of 145 · 2020 |
| Human Development IndexDR Congo: 0.108 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.522#168 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaDR Congo: 1.29× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $720#177 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPDR Congo: 29.7× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $91.03B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)DR Congo: 1.46× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $1,920#179 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthDR Congo: 1.3 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +5.8%#35 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | — |
| UnemploymentCentral African Republic: 1.43× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 4.4%#108 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyDR Congo: 1.19× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 85.3%#1 of 149 · 2020 |
| Income inequality (Gini)DR Congo: 1.7 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 44.7#17 of 149 · 2020 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 7.6 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 58.5% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCentral African Republic: 5.4 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 8.0% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesDR Congo: 13.0 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 33.5% of jobs#160 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentDR Congo: 0.7 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#89 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsDR Congo: 24.1 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 43.4% of GDP#59 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 1.69× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 1.4% of GDP#93 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersDR Congo: 1.43× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 20%#173 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsDR Congo: 1.51× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 59 per 100#177 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaDR Congo: 1.72× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 62% of land#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personAbout the same CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyDR Congo: 5.4 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 96.3%#1 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityDR Congo: 4.3 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 22.5%#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)DR Congo: 1.08× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 35.8 µg/m³#31 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landDR Congo: 0.1 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 14.9% of land#117 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landDR Congo: 4.4 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 7.3% of land#115 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressCentral African Republic: 1.5× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationDR Congo: 1.15× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 1,543 mm#54 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityCentral African Republic: 0.44 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −2.13#189 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCentral African Republic: 0.17 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.49#182 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Capital | Bangui | Kinshasa |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Congolese franc (CDF) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1 · UTC+1 to UTC+2, 2 time zones |
| Calling code | +236 | +243 |
| 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; DR Congo at 3° 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 DR Congo?
- No. Central African Republic is 3.76 times smaller than DR Congo. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km².
- How many times does Central African Republic fit into DR Congo?
- About 3.8 times: DR Congo has 3.76× the area of Central African Republic.
- Why do Central African Republic and DR 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 DR 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 DR Congo?
- DR Congo: 112,832,473 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², DR Congo 48 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or DR Congo?
- By gross national income per person, DR Congo: $720 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.29× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or DR Congo?
- In DR Congo: life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years, against 57.7 — 4.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and DR Congo have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Central African Republic: presidential republic; DR Congo: semi-presidential republic.