The duel
- +82% The Central African Republic is 82% bigger than the Congo
- +18% The Congo has 18% more people than the Central African Republic
- +8.3 years People in the Congo live 8.3 years longer than in the Central African Republic
- 5.5× The Congo produces 5.5 times as much per person as the Central African Republic
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Central African Republic is 82% bigger than the Congo
Central African Republic: 622,980 km² (2024) · Congo: 342,000 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Central African Republic: 0 km (2026 edition) · Congo: 169 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The Central African Republic’s highest peak towers 390 m above the Congo’s
Central African Republic: 1,410 m (2026 edition) · Congo: 1,020 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 31% of the Congo, versus 9.3% of the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 9.3% (2024) · Congo: 31.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The Congo has 18% more people than the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 5.51 million (2025) · Congo: 6.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Congo is 2.1 times as densely populated as the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 9 per km² (2025) · Congo: 19 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Congo are 2.2 cm taller than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 169 cm (2019) · Congo: 171.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Central African Republic are 0.9 cm taller than in the Congo
Central African Republic: 159.7 cm (2019) · Congo: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Congo is 4 years older than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 14.3 years (2023) · Congo: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Central African Republic have 1.8 more children on average than in the Congo
Central African Republic: 5.95 children per woman (2024) · Congo: 4.11 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.1% of people in the Congo are 65 or older, versus 2.2% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 2.2% (2025) · Congo: 3.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The Central African Republic hosts 4% more refugees per resident than the Congo
Central African Republic: 10 per 1,000 (2025) · Congo: 9.6 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Central African Republic and the Congo are practically level
Central African Republic: 0 (2026) · Congo: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The Congo has 3 official languages, the Central African Republic 2
Central African Republic: 2 (2026) · Congo: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Congo’s economy is 5.3 times the size of the Central African Republic’s
Central African Republic: $3.07 billion (2025) · Congo: $16.3 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Congo produces 5.5 times as much per person as the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: Int$1,314 (2025) · Congo: Int$7,248 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Central African Republic: 43 (2021) · Congo: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Central African Republic: 71.6% (2021) · Congo: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 20% in the Congo, versus 6.3% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 6.3% (2025) · Congo: 19.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Central African Republic spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, the Congo 1.3%
Central African Republic: 2.3% (2025) · Congo: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The Central African Republic’s central government collects 8.2% of GDP in tax, the Congo’s 6.5%
Central African Republic: 8.2% (2021) · Congo: 6.5% (2021)
How expensive is it?
The Central African Republic’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the Congo’s
Central African Republic: 42% (2025) · Congo: 35% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Congo spends 40% more on health per person than the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: $54 (2023) · Congo: $76 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the Congo live 8.3 years longer than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 57.7 years (2024) · Congo: 66 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Central African Republic is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the Congo
Central African Republic: 58.8 per 1,000 (2024) · Congo: 27 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Congo has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023) · Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the Central African Republic is 39% higher than in the Congo
Central African Republic: 24 per 100k (2023) · Congo: 17.3 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
12% of adults in the Congo are obese, versus 8.9% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 8.9% (2024) · Congo: 11.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Central African Republic: no data · Congo: 16.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Congo rate their lives 0.98 points higher than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 3.48 (2019) · Congo: 4.46 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Congo drink 2.1 times as much alcohol as in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 1.8 litres (2023) · Congo: 3.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Congo has 43% more meat per person than the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 39.1 kg (2022) · Congo: 55.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Central African Republic has 232 kcal more food per person per day than the Congo
Central African Republic: 2,419 kcal (2022) · Congo: 2,187 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Central African Republic: no data · Congo: 2,534 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Congo went to school 4.3 years longer than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 4 years (2023) · Congo: 8.3 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Congo welcomed 62% more tourists per resident than the Central African Republic (2019)
Central African Republic: 0.02 (2019) · Congo: 0.03 (2018)
How many World Heritage sites?
The Central African Republic and the Congo are practically level
Central African Republic: 2 (2026) · Congo: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The Central African Republic and the Congo are practically level
Central African Republic: 0 (2026 edition) · Congo: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
47% of people in the Congo are online, versus 14% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 14% (2024) · Congo: 47% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the Central African Republic is 3 times as fast as in the Congo
Central African Republic: 76 Mbps (2026) · Congo: 25 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
53% of people in the Congo have electricity, versus 18% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 18.2% (2024) · Congo: 53% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the Congo live in cities, versus 45% in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 45% (2025) · Congo: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Congo has 96 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Central African Republic 39
Central African Republic: 39 (2022) · Congo: 96 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Central African Republic: no data · Congo: 893 km (2012)
How much do they fly?
Central African Republic: no data · Congo: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 72% of the Central African Republic, but only 64% of the Congo
Central African Republic: 72.5% (2024) · Congo: 64% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Congo emits 19 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 0.1 t (2024) · Congo: 1.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the Central African Republic’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in the Congo
Central African Republic: 100% (2023) · Congo: 20.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Congo carries 25% more fine dust than in the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 32.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Congo: 40.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the Central African Republic are 3.6 times as deadly as in the Congo
Central African Republic: 29.6 per 100k (2023) · Congo: 8.3 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Central African Republic is on average 1.3 °C warmer than the Congo
Central African Republic: 26.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Congo: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Congo gets 39% more rain than the Central African Republic
Central African Republic: 1,072 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Congo: 1,486 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the Central African Republic bigger than the Congo?
The Central African Republic is larger. The Central African Republic is 82% bigger than the Congo.
Which has more people, the Central African Republic or the Congo?
The Congo has 18% more people than the Central African Republic (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Central African Republic or the Congo?
People in the Congo live 8.3 years longer than in the Central African Republic. Life expectancy at birth is 57.7 years in the Central African Republic and 66.0 in the Congo.
Are people taller in the Central African Republic or the Congo?
Men in the Congo are 2.2 cm taller than in the Central African Republic (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
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The Central African Republic vs the world →The Congo vs the world →