Central African Republic vs France
France is 3% larger than Central African Republic.
Central African RepublicFranceCentral African Republic moved onto France · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.97×
Central African Republic is 0.97× the area of France. Put the other way, France is 1.03× the size of Central African Republic.
 Central African Republic |  France | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaFrance: 1.03× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 643,801 km²#42 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 10 |
| People | ||
| PopulationFrance: 12.5× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 68,720,337#23 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityFrance: 12.1× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 107 / km²#83 of 194 |
| Urban populationFrance: 1.77× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 79%#49 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 3.7× the births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 1.61 per woman#123 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 3.12 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +0.25%#147 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 4.76× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 9.7 per 1,000#147 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateAbout the same death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 32.5 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 16.2%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65France: 20.3 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 22.5%#12 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationFrance: 4.0 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | +1.3 per 1,000#44 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFrance: 25.3 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 17.3× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 3.4 per 1,000 births#159 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsFrance: 46.9× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 3.28 per 1,000#54 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 71.5%#43 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexFrance: 0.506 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.920#25 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaFrance: 86.8× the income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $48,630#23 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPFrance: 1,098× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $3.37T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)France: 48.7× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $63,975#28 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 3.7 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +0.8%#160 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationCentral African Republic: 0.1 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | +0.9%#144 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentFrance: 1.19× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 7.5%#53 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 716× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Central African Republic: 11.2 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 63.8 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 2.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryFrance: 5.9 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 19.3% of jobs#85 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesFrance: 57.8 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 78.3% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentFrance: 0.4 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 1.8% of GDP#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsFrance: 14.1 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 33.4% of GDP#89 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 1.15× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 2.0% of GDP#59 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersFrance: 6.43× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 89%#64 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsFrance: 3.0× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 117 per 100#91 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 1.09× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 33% of land#96 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personFrance: 66.7× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 4.00 t a year#61 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 74.7 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 16.2%#118 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityFrance: 81.8 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Central African Republic: 4.06× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 8.2 µg/m³#168 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landFrance: 14.0 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 28.8% of land#40 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landFrance: 28.4 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 31.3% of land#26 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressFrance: 71.3× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 21.4%#66 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 1.55× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 867 mm#99 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityFrance: 1.60 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.09#110 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionFrance: 2.56 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | +1.24#23 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateCentral African Republic: 15.5× the homicide rate | 20.1 per 100,000#16 of 146 · 2016 | 1.3 per 100,000#92 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Semi-presidential republic |
| Member of | — | EU, NATO, Euro area, Schengen Area, OECD, G7, G20 |
| Capital | Bangui | Paris |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Euro (EUR), CFP Franc (XPF) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | French |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +236 | +33 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Western Europe, Europe |
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; France at 43° N is stretched to 1.87×. That difference is why France looks so much bigger than it is next to Central African Republic. 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 France?
- No. Central African Republic is 3% smaller than France. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and France covers 643,801 km².
- How many times does Central African Republic fit into France?
- About 1.0 times: France has 1.03× the area of Central African Republic.
- Why do Central African Republic and France 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 France about 1.87×. That is why France looks so much bigger than it really is next to Central African Republic. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Central African Republic or France?
- France: 68,720,337 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², France 107 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or France?
- By gross national income per person, France: $48,630 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 86.8× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or France?
- In France: life expectancy at birth is 83.0 years, against 57.7 — 25.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and France have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Central African Republic: presidential republic; France: semi-presidential republic.