STATISTICS: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

Central African Republic Official name: Rpublique Centrafricaine (Central African Republic). Form of government: multiparty republic with one legislative body (National Assembly ). Chief of state: President. Head of government: Prime Minister. Capital: Bangui. Official languages: French; Sango. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = CFAF 560.38; 1 = CFAF 954.05. Demography Population (1998): 3,376,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 14.0, persons per sq km 5.4. Urban-rural (1996): urban 39.0%; rural 61.0%. Sex distribution (1997): male 49.30%; female 50.70%. Age breakdown (1997): under 15, 44.1%; 15-29, 27.3%; 30-44, 15.1%; 45-59, 8.2%; 60-74, 4.2%; 75 and over, 1.1%. Population projection: (2000) 3,516,000; (2010) 4,314,000. Doubling time: 30 years. Ethnolinguistic composition (1988): Baya (Gbaya) 23.7%; Banda 23.4%; Mandjia 14.7%; Ngbaka 7.6%; Sara 6.5%; Mbum 6.3%; Kare 2.4%; French 0.1%; other 15.3%. Religious affiliation (1995): Christian 42.7%, of which Protestant 25.6% (Baptist 19.6%, other Protestant 5.9%), Roman Catholic 16.9%, other Christian 0.2%; traditional beliefs 24.0%; Muslim 15.0%; other 18.3%. Major cities (1994): Bangui 524,000; Berbrati 47,000; Bouar 43,000; Bambari 41,000; Carnot 41,000; Bossangoa 33,000. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1997): 39.0 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1997): 17.0 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1997): 22.0 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1997): 5.2. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 47.0 years; female 52.0 years. Mortality: n.a.; however, principal causes of death in the mid-1990s included respiratory infections (especially tuberculosis and pneumonia), diseases of the digestive system, meningitis, diarrheal diseases, malnutrition, cardiovascular diseases, malaria, viral hepatitis, and AIDS. National economy Budget (1996). Revenue: CFAF 45,800,000,000 (taxes 96.1%, nontax receipts 3.9%). Expenditures: CFAF 114,400,000,000 (capital expenditure 50.5%, current expenditure 49.5%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$844,300,000. Land use (1994): forest 75.0%; meadows 4.8%; agriculture 3.2%; other 17.0%. Tourism (1993): receipts U.S.$3,000,000; expenditures U.S.$43,000,000{2}. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1997): cassava 578,700, yams 320,000, bananas 100,000, peanuts (groundnuts) 97,800, plantains 78,000, corn (maize) 65,000, seed cotton 50,000, sesame seeds 32,000, pulses 26,000, sorghum 25,000, oranges 20,000, coffee 18,000, cottonseed 10,000{2}, paddy rice 9,000, cotton lint 7,000{2}; livestock (number of live animals) 2,926,000 cattle, 1,350,000 goats, 596,000 pigs, 3,600,000 chickens; roundwood (1995) 3,864,000 cu m; fish catch (1995) 13,300. Mining and quarrying (1996): gold 98 kg{3}, diamonds 487,300 carats{4}. Manufacturing (value added in U.S.$'000; 1994): food, beverages, and tobacco 19,000; chemical products 3,000; wood products 2,000; textiles, wearing apparel, and leather products 1,000; transport equipment 1,000. Construction (1992){5}: residential 10,052 sq m; nonresidential 82,411 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 101,000,000 (101,000,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) none (79,000); natural gas, none (none). Gross national product (1996): U.S.$1,024,000,000 (U.S.$310 per capita). Population economically active (1988): total 1,186,972; activity rate of total population 48.2% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 78.3%; female 46.8%; unemployed 7.5%). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1988) 4.7; average annual income per household CFAF 91,985 (U.S.$435); sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1991){6}: food 70.5%, clothing 8.5%, other manufactured products 7.6%, energy 7.3%, services (including transportation and communications, recreation, and health) 6.1%. Foreign trade Imports (1995): CFAF 94,203,000,000 (1992; food products 22.2%, transportation equipment 16.6%, chemical products 13.7%, energy products 11.0%). Major import sources: France 37.0%; Japan 24.3%; Cameroon 6.3%; Germany 3.7%; Belgium-Luxembourg 3.2%; United States 2.6%. Exports (1995): CFAF 93,524,000,000 (diamonds 49.7%, coffee 15.7%, wood products 15.0%, cotton 12.1%). Major export destinations: Belgium-Luxembourg 40.1%; France 16.0%; Democratic Republic of the Congo 2.1%; Republic of the Congo 1.1%; United Kingdom 1.1%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1996): total length 14,900 mi, 24,000 km (paved 2%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 9,500; trucks and buses 7,000. Merchant marine: vessels (100 gross tons and over) none. Air transport (1996){7}: passenger-mi 139,644,000, passenger-km 224,736,000; short ton-mi cargo 11,247,000, metric ton-km cargo 16,420,000; airports{8} (1997) 1. Education and health Educational attainment (1988). Percentage of population age 10 and over having: no formal schooling 59.3%; primary education 29.6%; lower secondary 7.5%; upper secondary 2.3%; higher 1.3%. Literacy (1995): total population age 15 and over literate 60.0%; males literate 68.5%; females literate 52.4%. Health (1992): physicians 157 (1 per 18,660 persons); hospital beds (1991) 4,258 (1 per 672 persons); infant mortality rate (1997) 108.0. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 1,885 (vegetable products 91%, animal products 9%); 83% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1997): 2,650{9} (army 94.3%; navy, none; air force 5.7%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1994): 3.2% (world 3.0%); per capita expenditure U.S.$10. {1} To be increased to 109 as of November 1998 elections. {2} 1994. {3} 1995. {4} An unknown but substantial amount is believed to be smuggled out of the country annually. {5} Bangui only. {6} Weights of consumer price index components. {7} Represents 1/11 of the traffic of Air Afrique, which is operated by 11 West African states. {8} International air service only. {9} Excludes 2,300 gendarmerie, who are part of the armed forces.