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Central African Republic vs. Chad

Demographics

Central African RepublicChad
Population5,357,984 (July 2021 est.)

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, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
17,414,108 (July 2021 est.)
Age structure0-14 years: 39.49% (male 1,188,682/female 1,176,958)

15-24 years: 19.89% (male 598,567/female 593,075)

25-54 years: 32.95% (male 988,077/female 986,019)

55-64 years: 4.32% (male 123,895/female 134,829)

65 years and over: 3.35% (male 78,017/female 122,736) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 47.43% (male 4,050,505/female 3,954,413)

15-24 years: 19.77% (male 1,676,495/female 1,660,417)

25-54 years: 27.14% (male 2,208,181/female 2,371,490)

55-64 years: 3.24% (male 239,634/female 306,477)

65 years and over: 2.43% (male 176,658/female 233,087) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 20 years

male: 19.7 years

female: 20.3 years (2020 est.)
total: 16.1 years

male: 15.6 years

female: 16.5 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate1.79% (2021 est.)3.12% (2021 est.)
Birth rate33.2 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)41.05 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate12.01 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)9.7 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-3.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female

total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.78 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 84.22 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 90.39 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 77.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 67.02 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 72.83 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 60.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 55.07 years

male: 53.74 years

female: 56.44 years (2021 est.)
total population: 58.73 years

male: 56.92 years

female: 60.6 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate4.09 children born/woman (2021 est.)5.57 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate2.9% (2020 est.)1.1% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Central African(s)

adjective: Central African
noun: Chadian(s)

adjective: Chadian
Ethnic groupsBaya 28.8%, Banda 22.9%, Mandjia 9.9%, Sara 7.9%, M'Baka-Bantu 7.9%, Arab-Fulani (Peul) 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.)Sara (Ngambaye/Sara/Madjingaye/Mbaye) 30.5%, Kanembu/Bornu/Buduma 9.8%, Arab 9.7%, Wadai/Maba/Masalit/Mimi 7%, Gorane 5.8%, Masa/Musseye/Musgum 4.9%, Bulala/Medogo/Kuka 3.7%, Marba/Lele/Mesme 3.5%, Mundang 2.7%, Bidiyo/Migaama/Kenga/Dangleat 2.5%, Dadjo/Kibet/Muro 2.4%, Tupuri/Kera 2%, Gabri/Kabalaye/Nanchere/Somrai 2%, Fulani/Fulbe/Bodore 1.8%, Karo/Zime/Peve 1.3%, Baguirmi/Barma 1.2%, Zaghawa/Bideyat/Kobe 1.1%, Tama/Assongori/Mararit 1.1%, Mesmedje/Massalat/Kadjakse 0.8%, other Chadian ethnicities 3.4%, Chadians of foreign ethnicities 0.9%, foreign nationals 0.3%, unspecified 1.7% (2014-15 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS88,000 (2020 est.)110,000 (2020 est.)
ReligionsChristian 89%, Muslim 9%, folk religion 1%, unaffiliated 1% (2020 est.)

note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Muslim 52.1%, Protestant 23.9%, Roman Catholic 20%, animist 0.3%, other Christian 0.2%, none 2.8%, unspecified 0.7% (2014-15 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths3,200 (2020 est.)3,000 (2020 est.)
LanguagesFrench (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), tribal languagesFrench (official), Arabic (official), Sara (in south), more than 120 different languages and dialects

major-language sample(s):
The World Factbook, une source indispensable d'informations de base. (French)

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The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 37.4%

male: 49.5%

female: 25.8% (2018)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic

total population: 22.3%

male: 31.3%

female: 14% (2016)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: very high (2020)

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

respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis
degree of risk: very high (2020)

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

respiratory diseases: meningococcal meningitis
Food insecurityexceptional shortfall in aggregate food production/supplies: due to conflict and population displacements - ongoing conflicts and population displacements due to armed violence that followed the December 2020 elections, adding to the already high levels of civil insecurity, coupled with restrictive measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic, are expected to continue affecting agricultural activities and limit farmers' access to crop-growing areas and inputs, with a negative impact on 2021 crop production (2021)widespread lack of access: due to civil insecurity - about 1.78 million people were projected to be in "Crisis" and above in the June-August 2021 period due to persistent insecurity in the Lac and Tibesti regions, which continues to disrupt livelihood activities and to cause population displacements; about 336,124 people were displaced due to insecurity in Lake Chad Region; COVID-19 pandemic containment measures continue to slow down the national economy, reducing employment opportunities; this downturn has contributed to a weakening of the purchasing power of poor vulnerable households, limiting their access to food (2021)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 7 years

male: 8 years

female: 6 years (2012)
total: 7 years

male: 9 years

female: 6 years (2015)
Education expenditures1.2% of GDP (2011)2.5% of GDP (2017)
Urbanizationurban population: 42.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 3.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 23.8% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 4.1% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 89.6% of population

rural: 54.4% of population

total: 68.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 10.4% of population

rural: 45.6% of population

total: 31.5% of population (2015 est.)
improved: urban: 86.7% of population

rural: 46.6% of population

total: 55.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 13.3% of population

rural: 53.4% of population

total: 44.3% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 43.6% of population

rural: 7.2% of population

total: 21.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 56.4% of population

rural: 92.8% of population

total: 78.2% of population (2015 est.)
improved: urban: 56.5% of population

rural: 3.1% of population

total: 15.3% of population

unimproved: urban: 43.5% of population

rural: 96.9% of population

total: 84.7% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population910,000 BANGUI (capital) (2021)1.476 million N'DJAMENA (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate829 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)1,140 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight20.5% (2019)29.2% (2019)
Health expenditures11% (2018)4.1% (2018)
Physicians density0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2015)0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate7.5% (2016)6.1% (2016)
Demographic profile

The Central African Republic's (CAR) humanitarian crisis has worsened since a coup in 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 is 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 are displaced by violence.

Rampant poverty, human rights violations, unemployment, poor infrastructure, and a lack of security and stability have led to forced displacement internally and externally. Since the political crisis that resulted in CAR's March 2013 coup began in December 2012, approximately 600,000 people have fled to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and other neighboring countries, while another estimated 600,000 are displaced internally as of October 2019. The UN has urged countries to refrain from repatriating CAR refugees amid the heightened lawlessness.

(2019)

Despite the start of oil production in 2003, 40% of Chad's population lives below the poverty line. The population will continue to grow rapidly because of the country's very high fertility rate and large youth cohort - more than 65% of the populace is under the age of 25 - although the mortality rate is high and life expectancy is low. Chad has the world's third highest maternal mortality rate. Among the primary risk factors are poverty, anemia, rural habitation, high fertility, poor education, and a lack of access to family planning and obstetric care. Impoverished, uneducated adolescents living in rural areas are most affected. To improve women's reproductive health and reduce fertility, Chad will need to increase women's educational attainment, job participation, and knowledge of and access to family planning. Only about a quarter of women are literate, less than 5% use contraceptives, and more than 40% undergo genital cutting.

As of October 2017, more than 320,000 refugees from Sudan and more than 75,000 from the Central African Republic strain Chad's limited resources and create tensions in host communities. Thousands of new refugees fled to Chad in 2013 to escape worsening violence in the Darfur region of Sudan. The large refugee populations are hesitant to return to their home countries because of continued instability. Chad was relatively stable in 2012 in comparison to other states in the region, but past fighting between government forces and opposition groups and inter-communal violence have left nearly 60,000 of its citizens displaced in the eastern part of the country.

Contraceptive prevalence rate17.8% (2019)8.1% (2019)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 86.4

youth dependency ratio: 81.1

elderly dependency ratio: 5.2

potential support ratio: 19.2 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 96

youth dependency ratio: 91.1

elderly dependency ratio: 4.9

potential support ratio: 20.4 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook