Central African Republic vs South Sudan
South Sudan is 3% larger than Central African Republic.
Central African RepublicSouth SudanCentral African Republic moved onto South Sudan · Equal-area projection
0.97×
Central African Republic is 0.97× the area of South Sudan. Put the other way, South Sudan is 1.03× the size of Central African Republic.
 Central African Republic |  South Sudan | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaSouth Sudan: 1.03× the area | 622,984 km²#44 of 194 | 644,329 km²#41 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 6 |
| People | ||
| PopulationSouth Sudan: 2.21× the population | 5,513,282#119 of 194 · 2025 | 12,188,788#81 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySouth Sudan: 2.14× the density | 8.8 / km²#182 of 194 | 19 / km²#170 of 194 |
| Urban populationCentral African Republic: 2.06× the urban share | 45%#140 of 192 · 2025 | 22%#185 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCentral African Republic: 1.57× the births per woman | 5.95 per woman#4 of 192 · 2024 | 3.79 per woman#32 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCentral African Republic: 1.34 points higher | +3.37%#7 of 192 · 2025 | +2.03%#47 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCentral African Republic: 1.58× the birth rate | 46.2 per 1,000#1 of 192 · 2024 | 29.2 per 1,000#34 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSouth Sudan: 1.04× the death rate | 9.4 per 1,000#48 of 192 · 2024 | 9.8 per 1,000#40 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Central African Republic: 10.7 points higher | 48.7%#1 of 192 · 2025 | 38.0%#33 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65South Sudan: 0.9 points higher | 2.2%#187 of 192 · 2025 | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationSouth Sudan: 3.2 per 1,000 higher | −2.7 per 1,000#156 of 192 · 2025 | +0.5 per 1,000#58 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadSouth Sudan: 1.6× the refugees for its size | 122.29 per 1,000#5 of 190 · 2025 | 195.79 per 1,000#1 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyThe same life expectancy | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 | 57.7 years#189 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalitySouth Sudan: 1.22× the infant mortality | 58.8 per 1,000 births#8 of 191 · 2024 | 71.9 per 1,000 births#1 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsCentral African Republic: 1.75× the doctors per person | 0.07 per 1,000#174 of 178 · 2023 | 0.04 per 1,000#177 of 178 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexCentral African Republic: 0.026 higher | 0.414#188 of 190 · 2023 | 0.388#190 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | $560#182 of 185 · 2025 | — |
| GDP | $3.07B2025 | — |
| Income group | Low income | Low income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | $1,314#183 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| GDP growth | +4.5%#55 of 187 · 2025 | — |
| InflationSouth Sudan: 90.4 points higher | +1.0%#141 of 176 · 2025 | +91.4%#4 of 176 · 2024 |
| UnemploymentSouth Sudan: 1.97× the unemployment | 6.3%#68 of 178 · 2025 | 12.4%#22 of 178 · 2023 |
| Extreme povertySouth Sudan: 1.07× the share in extreme poverty | 71.6%#7 of 149 · 2021 | 76.5%#3 of 149 · 2016 |
| Income inequality (Gini)South Sudan: 1.0 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2021 | 44.0#19 of 149 · 2016 |
| Jobs in agricultureCentral African Republic: 2.3 points higher | 66.1% of jobs#7 of 178 · 2025 | 63.8% of jobs#11 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in industryCentral African Republic: 11.7 points higher | 13.4% of jobs#146 of 178 · 2025 | 1.7% of jobs#178 of 178 · 2023 |
| Jobs in servicesSouth Sudan: 14.1 points higher | 20.5% of jobs#175 of 178 · 2025 | 34.6% of jobs#158 of 178 · 2023 |
| Foreign investment | 1.4% of GDP#112 of 184 · 2025 | — |
| Exports | 19.3% of GDP#135 of 168 · 2025 | — |
| Military spendingSouth Sudan: 1.47× the military spending | 2.3% of GDP#46 of 155 · 2025 | 3.4% of GDP#19 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | 14%#181 of 184 · 2024 | — |
| Mobile subscriptionsSouth Sudan: 1.21× the mobile subscriptions | 39 per 100#187 of 191 · 2022 | 47 per 100#185 of 191 · 2023 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCentral African Republic: 3.16× the forest share | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2023 | 11% of land#151 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | — |
| Renewable energyCentral African Republic: 58.5 points higher | 90.9%#5 of 190 · 2022 | 32.4%#76 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityCentral African Republic: 12.8 points higher | 18.2%#189 of 192 · 2024 | 5.4%#192 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Central African Republic: 1.41× the air pollution | 33.3 µg/m³#37 of 191 · 2023 | 23.7 µg/m³#64 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSouth Sudan: 0.6 points higher | 14.8% of land#119 of 191 · 2025 | 15.4% of land#114 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSouth Sudan: 0.9 points higher | 2.9% of land#150 of 190 · 2024 | 3.8% of land#141 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressSouth Sudan: 14× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 4.2%#127 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationCentral African Republic: 1.49× the rain and snow | 1,343 mm#67 of 180 · 2022 | 900 mm#97 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySouth Sudan: 0.17 higher | −1.69#176 of 193 · 2025 | −1.52#173 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionCentral African Republic: 0.78 higher | −1.32#176 of 193 · 2025 | −2.10#193 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 | Juba |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | South Sudanese pound (SSP) |
| Official languages | French, Sango | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +236 | +211 |
| 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; South Sudan at 7° N is stretched to 1.02×. 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 South Sudan?
- No. Central African Republic is 3% smaller than South Sudan. Central African Republic covers 622,984 km² and South Sudan covers 644,329 km².
- How many times does Central African Republic fit into South Sudan?
- About 1.0 times: South Sudan has 1.03× the area of Central African Republic.
- Why do Central African Republic and South Sudan 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 South Sudan about 1.02×. 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 South Sudan?
- South Sudan: 12,188,788 people against 5,513,282. Density: Central African Republic 8.8 per km², South Sudan 19 per km².
- Where do people live longer, Central African Republic or South Sudan?
- Life expectancy at birth is the same in both: 57.7 years.
- What kind of government do Central African Republic and South Sudan have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).