More than 55% of the population of the C.A.R. 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:
3,512,751
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 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
43% (male 768,550; female 757,710)
15-64 years:
53% (male 909,463; female 946,083)
65 years and over:
4% (male 58,224; female 72,721) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.77% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 37.52 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 18.44 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.8 male(s)/female
total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 106.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
44.02 years
male:
42.26 years
female:
45.84 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.95 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Central African(s)
adjective:
Central African
Ethnic groups: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 1,500 French)
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%
note:
animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority
Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
60%
male:
68.5%
female:
52.4% (1995 est.)