View Intelligence Dossier Back to 2016 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Broadcast media [time series]

government-owned network, Radiodiffusion Television Centrafricaine, provides domestic TV broadcasting; licenses for 2 private TV stations are pending; 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 (2007)

Internet country code [time series]

.cf

Internet users [time series]

total: 246,000 | percent of population: 4.6% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 157

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication | domestic: very limited telephone service with less than 1 fixed-line connection per 100 persons; spurred by the presence of multiple mobile-cellular service providers, cellular usage is increasing from a low base; most fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone services are concentrated in Bangui | international: country code - 236; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines [time series]

total subscriptions: 1,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: less than 1 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 216

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

total: 982,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

cotton, coffee, tobacco, cassava (manioc, tapioca), yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Budget [time series]

revenues: $176.2 million | expenditures: $255.1 million (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]

-4.9% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Central bank discount rate [time series]

4.25% (31 December 2009) | 4.75% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 89

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

15.5% (31 December 2015 est.) | 15% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Current account balance [time series]

-$205 million (2015 est.) | -$95 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Debt - external [time series]

$661.9 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $657.4 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 175

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

61.3 (1993) | country comparison to the world: 3

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

Subsistence agriculture, together with forestry and mining, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African Republic (CAR), with about 60% of the population living in outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates more than half of GDP. Timber and diamonds account for most export earnings, followed by cotton. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked geography, poor transportation system, largely unskilled work force, and legacy of misdirected macroeconomic policies. Factional fighting between the government and its opponents remains a drag on economic revitalization. Distribution of income is extraordinarily unequal. Grants from France and the international community can only partially meet humanitarian needs. | Since 2009, the IMF has worked closely with the government to institute reforms that have resulted in some improvement in budget transparency, but other problems remain. The government's additional spending in the run-up to the 2011 election worsened CAR's fiscal situation. In 2012, the World Bank approved $125 million in funding for transport infrastructure and regional trade, focused on the route between CAR's capital and the port of Douala in Cameroon. After a two-year lag in donor support, the IMF's first review of CAR's extended credit facility for 2012-15 praised improvements in revenue collection but warned of weak management of spending. | Kimberley Process participants partially lifted the ban on diamond exports from the country in 2015, but persistent insecurity will prevent GDP from recovering to its pre-2013 level.

Exchange rates [time series]

Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF) per US dollar - | 591.45 (2015 est.) | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.)

Exports [time series]

$70.5 million (2015 est.) | $76.7 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 197

Exports - commodities [time series]

diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee

Exports - partners [time series]

Norway 52.2%, China 14.1%, Democratic Republic of the Congo 8.3% (2015)

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$1.605 billion (2015 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$3.018 billion (2015 est.) | $2.893 billion (2014 est.) | $2.864 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 188

GDP - composition, by end use [time series]

GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]

agriculture: 58.3% | industry: 11.9% | services: 29.8% (2015 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$600 (2015 est.) | $600 (2014 est.) | $600 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 228

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.3% (2015 est.) | 1% (2014 est.) | -36% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Gross national saving [time series]

1.8% of GDP (2015 est.) | 4.1% of GDP (2014 est.) | 5.7% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 2.1% | highest 10%: 33% (2003)

Imports [time series]

$360.4 million (2015 est.) | $401.3 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 197

Imports - commodities [time series]

food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals

Imports - partners [time series]

Norway 39.6%, France 6.8%, US 4.6% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Industries [time series]

gold and diamond mining, logging, brewing, sugar refining

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

4.5% (2015 est.) | 11.6% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 164

Labor force [time series]

2.358 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$NA

Population below poverty line [time series]

NA%

Stock of broad money [time series]

$410.4 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $454.7 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$444.4 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $457.8 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Stock of narrow money [time series]

$340.9 million (31 December 2015 est.) | $376.7 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Taxes and other revenues [time series]

11% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 210

Unemployment rate [time series]

8% (2001 est.) | note: 23% unemployment in the capital, Bangui | country comparison to the world: 89

Energy

Carbon dioxide emissions (Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy) [time series]

400,000 Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 185

Crude oil - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 112

Crude oil - imports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 177

Crude oil - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]

0 bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 120

Electricity - consumption [time series]

200 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 190

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]

43.2% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]

56.8% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 38

Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Electricity - from other renewable sources [time series]

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 136

Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]

44,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Electricity - production [time series]

200 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 188

Electricity access [time series]

population without electricity: 4,500,000 | electrification - total population: 3% | electrification - urban areas: 5% | electrification - rural areas: 1% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 133

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 183

Natural gas - production [time series]

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 127

Refined petroleum products - consumption [time series]

3,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 186

Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 171

Refined petroleum products - imports [time series]

2,828 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 181

Refined petroleum products - production [time series]

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 170

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 622,984 sq km | land: 622,984 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 45

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Texas

Climate [time series]

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

Coastline [time series]

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation [time series]

mean elevation: 635 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Oubangui River 335 m | highest point: Mont Ngaoui 1,420 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

tap water is not potable; poaching has diminished the country's reputation as one of the last great wildlife refuges; desertification; deforestation

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates [time series]

7 00 N, 21 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

Irrigated land [time series]

10 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 5,920 km | border countries (6): Cameroon 901 km, Chad 1,556 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 1,747 km, Republic of the Congo 487 km, South Sudan 1,055 km, Sudan 174 km

Land use [time series]

agricultural land: 8.1% | arable land 2.9%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 5.1% | forest: 36.2% | other: 55.7% (2011 est.)

Location [time series]

Central Africa, north of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Map references [time series]

Africa

Maritime claims [time series]

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards [time series]

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

Natural resources [time series]

diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil, hydropower

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Capital [time series]

name: Bangui | geographic coordinates: 4 22 N, 18 35 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship [time series]

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

Constitution [time series]

several previous; latest adopted by referendum in December 2015 (2016)

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Central African Republic | conventional short form: none | local long form: Republique Centrafricaine | 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

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey HAWKINS (30 October 2015) | embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui | mailing address: P.O. Box 924, Bangui | telephone: [236] 21 61 0200 | FAX: [236] 21 61 4494 | note: embassy operations suspended in December 2012; resumed limited operations on 15 Septermber 2014

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Stanislas MOUSSA-KEMBE (since 24 August 2009) | chancery: 2704 Ontario Road NW, Washington, DC 20009 | telephone: [1] (202) 483-7800 | FAX: [1] (202) 332-9893

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (since 30 March 2016) | head of government: Prime Minister Simplice SARANDJI (since 2 April 2016) | cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president | elections/appointments: under the new constitution, the president is elected by universal direct sufferage for a period of 5 years renewable for a second term; last election was held 20 February 2016 (next to be held April 2021) | election results: First round held on 30 December 2015, percent of vote - Anicet-Georges DOLOGUELE (URCA) 23.7%, Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (independent) 19.1%, Desire KOLINGBA (RDC) 12.0%, Martin ZIGUELE (MLPC) 11.4%, other 33.8%; second round held on 20 February 2016, percent of vote - Faustin-Archange TOUADERA (independent) 62.7%, Anicet-Georges DOLOGUELE (URCA) 37.3% | note: rebel forces seized the capital in March 2013, forcing former President BOZIZE to flee the country; Interim President Michel DJOTODIA assumed the presidency, reinstated the prime minister, and established a National Transitional Council (CNT) in April 2013; the NTC elected Catherine SAMBA-PANZA interim president in January 2014 to serve until February 2015 when new elections were to be held; her term was extended because instability delayed new elections and the transition did not take place until the end of March 2016

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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

Government type [time series]

presidential republic

Independence [time series]

13 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation [time series]

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation [time series]

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), MIGA, NAM, OIC (observer), OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

highest court(s): 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

Legal system [time series]

civil law system based on the French model

Legislative branch [time series]

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (131 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 February 2016 and 31 March 2016 (next election to be held in 2021) | election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNDP 13, URCA 13, RDC 10, MLPC 9, KNK 7, independents 56, other 23

National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]

name: "Le 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 holiday [time series]

Republic Day, 1 December (1958)

National symbol(s) [time series]

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

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Action Party for Development or PAD | Alliance for Democracy and Progress or ADP [Clement BELIBANGA] | Central African Democratic Rally or RDC [Desire Nzanga KOLINGBA] | Movement for Democracy and Development or MDD [Louis PAPENIAH] | Movement for the Liberation of the Central African People or MLPC [Martin ZIGUELE] | National Convergence (also known as Kwa Na Kwa) or KNK [Francois BOZIZE] | National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Amine MICHEL] | New Alliance for Progress or NAP [Jean-Jacques DEMAFOUTH] | Social Democratic Party or PSD [Enoch LAKOUE] | Union for Central African Renewal or URCA [Anicet-Georges DOLOGUELE]

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

The former French colony of Ubangi-Shari became the Central African Republic upon independence in 1960. After three tumultuous decades of misrule - mostly by military governments - civilian rule was established in 1993 but lasted only a decade. In March 2003, President Ange-Felix PATASSE was deposed in a military coup led by General Francois BOZIZE, who established a transitional government. Elections held in 2005 affirmed General BOZIZE as president; he was reelected in 2011 in voting widely viewed as flawed. The government still lacks full control of the countryside, where lawlessness persists. The militant group, Lord's Resistance Army, continues to destabilize southeastern Central African Republic, and several rebel groups joined together in early December 2012 to launch a series of attacks that left them in control of numerous towns in the northern and central parts of the country. The rebels - unhappy with BOZIZE's government - participated in peace talks in early January 2013 which resulted in a coalition government including the rebellion's leadership. In March 2013, the coalition government dissolved, rebels seized the capital, and President BOZIZE fled the country. Rebel leader Michel DJOTODIA assumed the presidency and the following month established a National Transitional Council (CNT). In January 2014, the CNT elected Catherine SAMBA-PANZA as interim president. Elections completed in March 2016 installed independent candidate Faustin-Archange TOUADERA as president.

Military and Security

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Central African Armed Forces (Forces Armees Centrafricaines, FACA): Ground Forces (includes Military Air Service), General Directorate of Gendarmerie Inspection (DGIG), National Police (2011)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

18 years of age for selective military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2012)

People and Society

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 40.27% (male 1,114,727/female 1,102,809) | 15-24 years: 19.98% (male 553,264/female 547,308) | 25-54 years: 32.24% (male 888,304/female 887,348) | 55-64 years: 4.04% (male 101,306/female 120,964) | 65 years and over: 3.47% (male 74,516/female 116,711) (2016 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

34.7 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 22

Child labor - children ages 5-14 [time series]

total number: 532,518 | percentage: 47% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]

23.5% (2011) | country comparison to the world: 26

Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]

15.2% (2010/11)

Death rate [time series]

13.5 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 11

Demographic profile [time series]

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 370,000 people have fled to Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and other neighboring countries, while an estimated 385,000 are displaced internally. The UN has urged countries to refrain from repatriating CAR refugees amid the heightened lawlessness.

Dependency ratios [time series]

total dependency ratio: 75.2% | youth dependency ratio: 68.4% | elderly dependency ratio: 6.8% | potential support ratio: 14.8% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source [time series]

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

1.2% of GDP (2011) | country comparison to the world: 171

Ethnic groups [time series]

Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

3.7% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 15

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

7,800 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 24

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

118,800 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 34

Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]

4.2% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 168

Hospital bed density [time series]

1 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 88.4 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 95.9 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 80.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 52.3 years | male: 51 years | female: 53.7 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 219

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 36.8% | male: 50.7% | female: 24.4% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever | respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Major urban areas - population [time series]

BANGUI (capital) 794,000 (2015)

Maternal mortality ratio (Maternal mortality rate) [time series]

882 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Median age [time series]

total: 19.6 years | male: 19.3 years | female: 19.9 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 195

Nationality [time series]

noun: Central African(s) | adjective: Central African

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 79

Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]

4.4% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 175

Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]

0.05 physicians/1,000 population (2009)

Population [time series]

5,507,257 | 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 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Population growth rate [time series]

2.12% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 41

Religions [time series]

indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15% | note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

Sanitation facility access [time series]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 7 years | male: 8 years | female: 6 years (2012)

Sex ratio [time series]

Total fertility rate [time series]

4.36 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 31

Urbanization [time series]

urban population: 40% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 2.59% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

periodic skirmishes persist over water and grazing rights among related pastoral populations along the border with southern Sudan

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 5,183 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2016) | IDPs: 420,681 (clashes between army and rebel groups since 2005; tensions between ethnic groups) (2016)

Trafficking in persons [time series]

current situation: Central African Republic (CAR) is a source, transit, and destination country for children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, women subjected to forced prostitution, and adults subjected to forced labor; most victims appear to be CAR citizens exploited within the country, with a smaller number transported back forth between the CAR and nearby countries; armed groups operating in the CAR, including those aligned with the former Seleka Government and the Lord’s Resistance Army, continue to recruit and re-recruit children for military activities and labor; children are also subject to domestic servitude, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor in agriculture, mines, shops, and street vending; women and girls are subject to domestic servitude, sexual slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced marriage | tier rating: Tier 3 – the Central African Republic does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; the government conducted a limited number of investigations and prosecutions of cases of suspected human trafficking in 2014 but did not identify, provide protection to, or refer to care providers any trafficking victims; the government did not directly provide reintegration programs for demobilized child soldiers, leaving victims vulnerable to further exploitation or retrafficking by armed groups, including those affiliated with the government; in 2014, an NGO and the government began drafting a national action plan against trafficking but no efforts were reported to establish a policy against child soldiering or to raise awareness about existing laws prohibiting the use of children in the armed forces (2015)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

39 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 106

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 2 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 37 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 | 914 to 1,523 m: 19 | under 914 m: 6 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]

TL (2016)

National air transport system [time series]

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 46,364 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

river port(s): Bangui (Oubangui); Nola (Sangha)

Roadways [time series]

total: 20,278 km | paved: 1,385 km | unpaved: 18,893 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 107

Waterways [time series]

2,800 km (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) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 34