Demographics of the Central African Republic

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Demographics of Central African Republic, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.
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Demographics of Central African Republic, Data of FAO, year 2005 ; Number of inhabitants in thousands.

There are more than 80 ethnic groups in the Central African Republic (CAR), each with its own language. About 50% are Baya-Mandjia and Banda--40% (largely located in the northern and central parts of the country), and 7% are M'Baka (southwestern corner of the CAR). Sangho, the language of a small group along the Oubangui River, is the national language spoken by the majority of Central Africans. Only a small part of the population has more than an elemental knowledge of French, the official language.

More than 55% of the population of the CAR 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.

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[edit] Demographic data from the CIA World Factbook

[edit] Population

4,303,356
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 2006 est.)

[edit] Age structure

0-14 years: 41.9% (male 907,629/female 897,153)
15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,146,346/female 1,173,268)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 71,312/female 107,648) (2006 est.)

[edit] Median age

Total: 18.4 years
Male: 18 years
Female: 18.8 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Population growth rate

1.53% (2006 est.)

[edit] Birth rate

33.91 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Death rate

18.65 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Net migration rate

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

[edit] Sex ratio

At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

[edit] Infant mortality rate

Total: 85.63 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 92.44 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 78.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

[edit] Life expectancy at birth

Total population: 43.54 years
Male: 43.46 years
Female: 43.62 years (2006 est.)

[edit] Total fertility rate

4.41 children born/woman (2006 est.)

[edit] HIV/AIDS

Adult prevalence rate: 13.5% (2003 est.)
People living with HIV/AIDS: 260,000 (2003 est.)
Deaths: 23,000 (2003 est.)

[edit] Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne disease: malaria
Respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)

[edit] Nationality

Noun: Central African(s)
Adjective: Central African

[edit] Ethnic groups

Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%, Yakoma 4%, other 2%; About 15,000 Europeans (mostly French) live in the CAR.

[edit] Religions

Indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%
Note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

[edit] Languages

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

[edit] Literacy

Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 51%
Male: 63.3%
Female: 39.9% (2003 est.)

[edit] References

This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2006 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.

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