Central African Republic vs Madagascar
Central African Republic is 6% larger than Madagascar.
Central African RepublicMadagascarCentral African Republic moved onto Madagascar · Equal-area projection
1.06×
Central African Republic is 1.06× the area of Madagascar.
 Central African Republic |  Madagascar | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCentral African Republic: 1.06× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 587,295 km²#46 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMadagascar: 5.94× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 32,740,678#49 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMadagascar: 6.3× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 56 / km²#131 of 194 |
| Urban populationCentral African Republic: 1.36× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 33%#164 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.52× the births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 3.91 per woman#26 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 0.97 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +2.40%#26 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.46× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 31.7 per 1,000#22 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateCentral African Republic: 1.25× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 9.8 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 38.9%#29 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Madagascar: 1.3 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 3.5%#153 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMadagascar: 2.6 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCentral African Republic: 6,115× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMadagascar: 6.1 years longer | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCentral African Republic: 1.37× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 43.0 per 1,000 births#21 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsMadagascar: 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 | — | 6.1%#139 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development IndexMadagascar: 0.073 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.487#180 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaAbout the same income per person | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMadagascar: 6.4× the economy | $3.07B2025 | $19.62B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Madagascar: 1.49× the output per person | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | $1,952#178 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthCentral African Republic: 1.5 points higher | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | +3.0%#102 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMadagascar: 7.1 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | +8.1%#29 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCentral African Republic: 2.1× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 3.0%#138 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyCentral African Republic: 1.03× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 69.2%#8 of 149 · 2021 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Central African Republic: 6.2 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 36.8#58 of 149 · 2021 |
| Jobs in agricultureMadagascar: 3.1 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 69.2% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryCentral African Republic: 3.5 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 9.9% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMadagascar: 0.4 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 20.9% of jobs#173 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMadagascar: 3.1 points higher | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMadagascar: 2.0 points higher | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | 21.3% of GDP#131 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingCentral African Republic: 3.76× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#136 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMadagascar: 1.36× the share online | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | 19%#176 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMadagascar: 1.92× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 75 per 100#153 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 2.06× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 17% of land#128 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMadagascar: 2.5× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 0.15 t a year#174 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 7.8 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 83.1%#9 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityMadagascar: 24.3 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 42.5%#181 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Central African Republic: 2.69× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 12.4 µg/m³#138 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCentral African Republic: 2.0 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 12.8% of land#133 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMadagascar: 2.3 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 5.2% of land#128 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressMadagascar: 37.7× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 11.3%#86 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationMadagascar: 1.13× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 1,513 mm#57 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMadagascar: 1.17 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −0.52#142 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMadagascar: 0.28 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.04#157 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 | Antananarivo |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Ariary (MGA) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | French, Malagasy |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+3 |
| Calling code | +236 | +261 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Eastern 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; Madagascar at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Madagascar?
- Yes. Central African Republic is 6% larger than Madagascar. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and Madagascar covers 587,295 km².
- How many times does Madagascar fit into Central African Republic?
- About 1.1 times: Central African Republic has 1.06× the area of Madagascar.
- Why do Central African Republic and Madagascar 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 Madagascar about 1.12×. 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 Madagascar?
- Madagascar: 32,740,678 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², Madagascar 56 per km².
- Which is richer, Central African Republic or Madagascar?
- By gross national income per person, Central African Republic: $560 against $560 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.0× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or Madagascar?
- In Madagascar: life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years, against 57.7 — 6.1 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and Madagascar have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Central African Republic: presidential republic; Madagascar: semi-presidential republic.