Population and Demographics of Central African Republic
A very young population · 49% under age 15 in 2024
Broad age groups reinforce that picture: 49.00% are under 15, 48.85% are 15 to 64, and 2.15% are 65 or older. Looking ahead, 10.62 million is projected for 2050 under the medium scenario, compared with 5.33 million in 2024.
Population Over Time in Central African Republic
A longer view puts Central African Republic at 3.833M in 2000 and 5.331M in 2024. That works out to a 39.1% gain. For 2050, the medium projection is 10.617M. That is a difference of about 5.29 million people from the 2024 estimate. The chart connects dated reference points only and should not be read as an annual interpolated series.
Age Structure and Sex Balance
In 2024, Central African Republic's age mix can be described as very young on the broad UN age-group measures. Children under 15 make up 49.00% of the population, compared with 2.15% aged 65 or older, and 48.85% are 15 to 64. The age balance is weighted toward younger residents.
Population by broad age group
Central African Republic's 2024 population is 52.0% female and 48.0% male in the World Bank series. Females exceed males by 4.0 percentage points.
Female and male population share
Females made up 52% of the population in the World Bank's 2024 series, compared with 48% males.
What Is Shaping Population Change
Central African Republic pairs a 2024 annual population rate of +3.46% with fertility of 6.0, with age composition adding a 46.85-point gap between children and older adults.
Over the longer record, Central African Republic changed +39.1% from 2000 to 2024, while the 2050 medium projection is 99.2% above 2024; this profile does not infer unobserved migration or natural-change components.
2024 estimate for the Central African Republic. The world comparison value is 2.25 children per woman.
Central African Republic vs. World
Three same-year indicators show where Central African Republic differs from the world in 2024: population change is higher than the global rate, fertility is above the global figure, and median age is younger than the world benchmark.
| Indicator | Central African Republic | World | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual population change | +3.46% | +0.87% | 2024 |
| Total fertility rate | 6 | 2.25 | 2024 |
| Median age | 14 | 30.6 | 2024 |
The comparison is intentionally narrow: each row uses the 2024 country table and its matching world value rather than mixing sources or observation years.
Key Takeaways
At 5.331M, the 2024 population is paired with an annual change rate of +3.46%.
Age structure is a key feature of the profile: 49.00% are under 15 and 2.15% are 65 or older.
The World Bank 2024 sex-share series is 52.0% female and 48.0% male.
The 2050 medium projection is 10.617M, 99.2% above the 2024 estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of the Central African Republic?
The 2024 harmonized population estimate for the Central African Republic is 5,330,690 people.
Is the population of the Central African Republic growing or declining?
In the 2024 estimate, Central African Republic's population is growing, with annual change of +3.46%.
What percentage of the population of the Central African Republic is aged 65 or older?
People aged 65 or older account for 2.15% of the Central African Republic's 2024 population in the UN WPP-based broad age data.
What is the projected population of the Central African Republic in 2050?
The UN World Population Prospects 2024 medium projection puts Central African Republic's 2050 population at 10,616,753.
What is the fertility rate in the Central African Republic?
The 2024 harmonized fertility estimate for the Central African Republic is 6 children per woman.
Sources & methodology
This profile uses United Nations World Population Prospects 2024 as the primary framework for globally comparable population, age, fertility and projection data. The World Bank is the primary source for the female population share. Some country values were accessed through secondary retrieval interfaces that republish or organize UN data; those interfaces are identified below as secondary and are not treated as the original statistical publishers.
View sources used for this page
Primary global framework for the population estimates and projections.
Harmonized 2024 country table based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized broad age shares based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Harmonized reference for the 2000 population point.
Harmonized 2050 country projection based on UN World Population Prospects 2024.
Used for the 2024 female share; the male share is calculated as the remainder to 100%.