Map of Central African Republic | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: The Central African Republic (CAR) is a perennially weak state that sits at the crossroads of ethnic and linguistic groups in the center of the African continent. Among the last areas of Sub-Saharan Africa to be drawn into the world economy, its introduction into trade networks around the early 1700s fostered significant competition among its population. The local population sought to benefit from the lucrative Atlantic, trans-Saharan, and Indian Ocean trade in enslaved people and ivory. Slave raids aided by the local populations fostered animosity between ethnic groups that remains today. The territory was established as a French colony named Ubangui-Shari in 1903, and France modeled its administration of the colony after the Belgian Congo, subcontracting control of the territory to private companies that collected rubber and ivory. Although France banned the domestic slave trade in CAR in the 1910s, the private companies continued to exploit the population through forced labor. The colony of Ubangi-Shari gained independence from France as the Central African Republic in August 1960, but the death of independence leader Barthelemy BOGANDA six months prior led to an immediate struggle for power.


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Location: Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 21 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 622,984 km²
Land: 622,984 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Texas; about four times the size of Georgia

Land boundaries
Total: 5,920 km
Border countries: (6) Cameroon 901 km; Chad 1556 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,747 km; , Republic of the Congo 487 km; South Sudan 1055 km; Sudan 174 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

Terrain: vast, flat to rolling plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

Elevation
Highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,410 m
Lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m
Mean elevation: 635 m

Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 8.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 2.9% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 5.1% (2018 est.)
Forest: 36.2% (2018 est.)
Other: 55.7% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 km² (2012)

Major rivers
By length in km:

Major watersheds area km²:

Total water withdrawal
Municipal: 60 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Industrial: 10 million cubic meters (2020 est.)
Agricultural: 400,000 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Total renewable water resources: 141 billion cubic meters (2020 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; floods are common

Geography
Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa


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Population
Distribution: majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this: 5,552,228 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 1.77% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: 62% (2008 est.) NA

Nationality
Noun: Central African(s)
Adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups: Baya 28.8%, Banda 22.9%, Mandjia 9.9%, Sara 7.9%, M'Baka-Bantu 7.9%, Arab-Fulani (Peuhl) 6%, Mbum 6%, Ngbanki 5.5%, Zande-Nzakara 3%, other Central African Republic ethnic groups 2%, non-Central African Republic ethnic groups .1% (2003 est.)

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages

Religions: Christian 89%, Muslim 9%, folk religion 1%, unaffiliated 1% (2020 est.)
Note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Demographic profile: The Central African Republic’s (CAR) humanitarian crisis has worsened since the coup of March 2013. CAR’s high mortality rate and low life expectancy are attributed to elevated rates of preventable and treatable diseases (including malaria and malnutrition), an inadequate health care system, precarious food security, and armed conflict. Some of the worst mortality rates are in western CAR’s diamond mining region, which has been impoverished because of government attempts to control the diamond trade and the fall in industrial diamond prices. To make matters worse, the government and international donors have reduced health funding in recent years. The CAR’s weak educational system and low literacy rate have also suffered as a result of the country’s ongoing conflict. Schools are closed, qualified teachers are scarce, infrastructure, funding, and supplies are lacking and subject to looting, and many students and teachers have been displaced by violence.

Age structure
0-14 years: 38.84% (male 1,104,007/female 1,052,411)
15-64 years: 57.71% (male 1,577,102/female 1,627,133)
65 years and over: 3.45% (2023 est.) (male 83,431/female 108,144)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 102.8
Youth dependency ratio: 97.7
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.1
Potential support ratio: 19.7 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 20.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 19.5 years
Female: 21.1 years

Population growth rate: 1.77% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 32.4 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 11.5 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution: majority of residents live in the western and central areas of the country, especially in and around the capital of Bangui as shown in this

Urbanization
Urban population: 43.6% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 958,000 BANGUI (capital) (2023)

Environment
Current issues: water pollution; tap water is not potable; poaching and mismanagement have diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation; soil erosion
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands
International agreements signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Air pollutants
Particulate matter emissions: 27.2 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 0.3 megatons (2016 est.)
Methane emissions: 22.44 megatons (2020 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio: 835 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 81.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 87.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 75.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 56 years (2023 est.)
Male: 54.6 years
Female: 57.3 years

Total fertility rate: 3.99 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 17.8% (2019)

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 83.9% of population
Improved rural: 47.5% of population
Improved total: 62.9% of population
Unimproved urban: 16.1% of population
Unimproved rural: 52.5% of population
Unimproved total: 37.1% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: 9.4% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density: 0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2018)

Hospital bed density: 1 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:
Unimproved urban:

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high (2023)
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever
Water contact diseases: schistosomiasis
Animal contact diseases: rabies
Note: on 31 August 2023, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; the Central African Republic is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, the CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 7.5% (2016)

Alcohol consumption
Per capita total: 0.94 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita beer: 0.55 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita wine: 0.04 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita spirits: 0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Per capita other alcohols: 0.33 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 20.5% (2019)

Education expenditures: 2.2% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 37.4%
Male: 49.5%
Female: 25.8% (2018)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 7 years
Male: 8 years
Female: 6 years (2012)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 11.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 10.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 13.1%


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Country name
Conventional long form: Central African Republic
Conventional short form: none
Local long form: Republique Centrale Africaine
Local short form: none
Former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
Abbreviation: CAR
Etymology: self-descriptive name specifying the country's location on the continent; "Africa" is derived from the Roman designation of the area corresponding to present-day Tunisia "Africa terra," which meant "Land of the Afri" (the tribe resident in that area), but which eventually came to mean the entire continent

Government type: presidential republic

Capital
Name: Bangui
Geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E
Time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: established as a French settlement in 1889 and named after its location on the northern bank of the Ubangi River; the Ubangi itself was named from the native word for the "rapids" located beside the outpost, which marked the end of navigable water north from Brazzaville

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular - prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular - prefecture economique), and 1 commune**; Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Haute-Kotto, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo, Lobaye, Mambere-Kadei, Mbomou, Nana-Grebizi*, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha-Mbaere*, Vakaga

Dependent areas

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest constitution passed by a national referendum on 30 July 2023 and validated by the Constitutional Court on 21 August 2023; note - the new constitution was proposed by President Faustin-Archange Touadéra, extended the presidential term from 5 to 7 years, removed term limits, and will allow President Touadéra to run again in 2025; opposition parties denounced the changes, claiming they were created to facilitate a "life precedency" for Touadéra
Amendments: proposals require support of the government, two thirds of the National Council of Transition, and assent by the "Mediator of the Central African" crisis; passage requires at least three-fourths majority vote by the National Council membership; non-amendable constitutional provisions include those on the secular and republican form of government, fundamental rights and freedoms, amendment procedures, or changes to the authorities of various high-level executive, parliamentary, and judicial officials

Legal system: civil law system based on the French model

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: least one parent must be a citizen of the Central African Republic
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 35 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since 30 March 2016)
Head of government: Prime Minister Felix MOLOUA (since 7 February 2022); note - Prime Minister Henri-Marie DONDRA resigned on 2 February 2022
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
Elections/appointments: president directly elected for 5-year term; election last held 27 December 2020 (next to be held in December 2025); constitutional referendum in July 2023 removed term limits and will institute 7-year terms; note - Central African Republic held presidential and partial legislative elections on 27 December 2020; voting was disrupted in some areas, delaying the first round of legislative elections until 14 March 2021; constituencies that did vote on 27 December 2020 held runoff elections for their legislators
Election results:

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (140 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote with a second round if needed; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held in December 2020 through July 2021 (next to be held 31 December 2025); note - on 27 December 2020, the day of first round elections, voting in many electoral areas was disrupted by armed groups; on 13 February 2021, President TOUADERA announced that new first round elections would be held on 27 February for those areas controlled by armed groups and the second round on 14 March; ultimately, two additional rounds were held on 23 May and 25 July 2021 in areas that continued to suffer from election security problems
Election results: December 2020 to July 2021 election: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - MCU 63, MOUNI 9, URCA 7, MLPC 7, RDC 5, KNK 3, PATRIE 3, CDE 2, RDD 2, MDD 2, PGD 2, PAD 2, CANE 2, other 11, independents 20; composition as of March 2022 - men 122, women 18, percent of women 12.9%; note - several members of other parties and independent candidates joined the MCU following the opening session of the National Assembly; as of 21 September 2021, the MCU held 86 seats

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme (consists of NA judges); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges, at least 3 of whom are women)
Judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges appointed by the president; Constitutional Court judge appointments - 2 by the president, 1 by the speaker of the National Assembly, 2 elected by their peers, 2 are advocates elected by their peers, and 2 are law professors elected by their peers; judges serve 7-year non-renewable terms
Subordinate courts: high courts; magistrates' courts

Political parties and leaders:
Note: only parties with seats in the Parliament included

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AU, BDEAC, CEMAC, EITI (compliant country) (suspended), FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LCBC, MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Martial NDOUBOU (since 17 September 2018)
In the us chancery: 2,704 Ontario Road NW, Washington, DC 20,009
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 483-7,800
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 332-9,893
In the us email address and website:
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Patricia A. MAHONEY (since 8 April 2022)
From the us embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui
From the us mailing address: 2,060 Bangui Place, Washington DC 20,521-2,060
From the us telephone: [236] 2,161-0200
From the us FAX: [236] 2,161-4,494
From the us email address and website: https://cf.usembassy.gov/

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; a yellow five-pointed star to the hoist side of the blue band; banner combines the Pan-African and French flag colors; red symbolizes the blood spilled in the struggle for independence, blue represents the sky and freedom, white peace and dignity, green hope and faith, and yellow tolerance; the star represents aspiration towards a vibrant future

National symbols: elephant; national colors: blue, white, green, yellow, red

National anthem
Name: "La Renaissance" (The Renaissance)
Lyrics/music: Barthelemy BOGANDA/Herbert PEPPER
Note: adopted 1960; Barthelemy BOGANDA wrote the anthem's lyrics and was the first prime minister of the autonomous French territory

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 2 (natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:


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Economy overview: enormous natural resources; extreme poverty; weak public institutions and infrastructure; political and gender-based violence have led to displacement of roughly 25% of population; Bangui-Douala corridor blockade reduced activity and tax collection; strong agricultural performance offset COVID-19 downturn

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 95.3% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 8.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.7% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 12% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -29.5% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 43.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 16% (2017 est.)
Services: 40.8% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cassava, yams, groundnuts, taro, bananas, sugar cane, beef, maize, plantains, milk

Industries: gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, sugar refining

Industrial production growth rate: -0.24% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 2.015 million (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 11.8% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 10.6%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 13.1%

Population below poverty line: 62% (2008 est.) NA

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 56.2 (2008 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: 2.1%
Highest 10%: 33% (2003)

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $418 million (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $385 million (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: -0.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 8.71% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

Revenue
From forest resources: 8.99% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: China 41%, United Arab Emirates 19%, France 7% (2019)
Commodities: gold, lumber, diamonds, large construction vehicles, rum (2021)

Imports:
Partners: India 18%, France 12%, United States 11%, China 9%, Netherlands 7%, Belgium 7%, Malta 6% (2019)
Commodities: refined petroleum, packaged medicines, natural gas, broadcasting equipment, second-hand clothing (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

Debt external:

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 5 million (2020)
Access electrification-total population: 15.6% (2021)
Access electrification-urban areas: 34.6% (2021)
Access electrification-rural areas: 1.5% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 38,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 140.44 million kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2019 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 10.5 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 0.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 99.3% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 3 million metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2017 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 2,799 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 285,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 285,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 1.121 million Btu/person (2019 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 2,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2021 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1.8 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 34 (2021 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides limited domestic TV broadcasting; state-owned radio network is supplemented by a small number of privately owned broadcast stations as well as a few community radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2017)

Internet
Country code: .cf
Users total: 605,000 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 11% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 499 (2019 est.) Data available for 2019 only.
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.01 (2019 est.)


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Military expenditures:

Military and security forces:
Note 1: the Special Republican Protection Group (Groupement Spécial Chargé de la Protection Républicaine or GSPR) is part of the Army per a March 2022 decree, but reports to the president; the GSPR provides protection to the head of state
Note 2: in 2019-2021, the CAR created three Mixed Special Security units (Unités Spéciales Mixtes de Sécurité or USMS), regionally based battalion-sized units comprised of about 40% government and 60% rebel soldiers created to provide security along transportation corridors and at mining sites; the units are intended to be transitional in nature with a scheduled deployment time of two years; in addition, since mid-2021 the FACA have frequently recruited local militias, mostly former anti-balaka fighters, whom they pay to help track and attack rebels hiding in the bush

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for military service; no conscription (2022)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2020)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 46,364 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 (2015) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: TL

Airports: 39 (2021)
With paved runways: 1
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)
With unpaved runways: 37
With unpaved runways note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 24,000 km (2018)
Paved: 700 km (2018)
Unpaved: 23,300 km (2018)

Waterways: 2,800 km (2011) (the primary navigable river is the Ubangi, which joins the River Congo; it was the traditional route for the export of products because it connected with the Congo-Ocean railway at Brazzaville; because of the warfare on both sides of the River Congo from 1997, importers and exporters preferred routes through Cameroon)

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
River ports:


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Disputes international: Central African Republic-South Sudan: periodic violent skirmishes persist among related pastoral populations along the border with South Sudan over water and grazing rights

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees country of origin: 13,844 (Sudan) (refugees since 15 April 2023), 6,683 (Democratic Republic of Congo) (2023)
IDPs: 490,868 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2023)

Illicit drugs