This article is about the demographic features of the population of the Central African Republic, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the Central African Republic (CAR), each with its own language.
About 50% are Baya-Mandjia, 40% Banda (largely located in the northern and central parts of the country), and 7% are M'Baka (southwestern corner of the CAR).
Sangho, the language of a small group along the Oubangui River, is the national language spoken by the majority of Central Africans.
Only a small part of the population has more than an elemental knowledge of French, the official language.
More than 55% of the population of the CAR lives in rural areas.
The chief agricultural areas are around the Bossangoa and Bambari.
Bangui, Berberati, Bangassou, and Bossangoa are the most densely populated urban centers.
Population
According to  the total population was  in , compared to only 1 327 000 in 1950.
The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.4%, 55.6% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 4% was 65 years or older .Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
Vital statistics
Registration of vital events is in the Central African Republic not complete.
The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.
Fertility and Births
Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
Life expectancy
Other demographic statistics
Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2019.
One birth every 3 minutes
One death every 9 minutes
One net migrant every 21 minutes
Net gain of one person every 6 minutes
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.
Population
5,745,062 (July 2018 est.)
4,920,157
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2015 est.)
Age structure
thumb|350px|Population pyramid of Central African Republic in 2017
0-14 years: 39.89% (male 1,151,724 /female 1,140,083)
15-24 years: 19.91% (male 574,969 /female 568,942)
25-54 years: 32.64% (male 938,365 /female 936,948)
55-64 years: 4.17% (male 112,310 /female 127,045)
65 years and over: 3.39% (male 75,401 /female 119,275) (2018 est.)
Median age
total: 19.8 years.
Country comparison to the world: 197th
male: 19.5 years
female: 20.1 years (2018 est.)
Total: 21.4 years
Male: 19.6 years
Female: 20.2 years (2015 est.)
Population growth rate
2.11% (2018 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 43rd
2.12% (2016 est.)
Birth rate
34 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 24th
Death rate
12.9 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
Net migration rate
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 78th
[[Total fertility rate]]
4.25 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 29th
Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
male: 51.9 years (2018 est.)
female: 54.7 years (2018 est.)
[[Dependency ratio]]s
total dependency ratio: 90 (2015 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 83.1 (2015 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 7 (2015 est.)
potential support ratio: 14.4 (2015 est)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
15.2% (2010/11)
School life expectancy
total: 7 years (2012)
male: 8 years (2012)
female: 6 years (2012)
HIV/AIDS
Adult prevalence rate: 4.7% (2009 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (2009 est.)
Deaths: 11,000 (2010 est.)
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies (2010)
Nationality
Noun: Central African(s)
Adjective: Central African
Ethnic groups
An approximate distribution of the ethnic groups is shown in the chart below:
Ethnic groups in Central African Republic
Religions
Indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Islam 15%
Languages
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languages
Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 51%
Male: 63.3%
Female: 39.9% (2010 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 41.4% of total population (2018)
rate of urbanization: 2.52% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)
See also
Demographics of Africa
List of ethnic groups of Africa
References
