Share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic

Central African Republic: Share of population living in urban areas was 56.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
56.1%
World rank
193rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
56.1%
in 2020
All-time low
41.6%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 41.6 %1955: 42.8 %1960: 44.2 %1965: 45.8 %1970: 47.8 %1975: 49.6 %1980: 48.7 %1985: 47.7 %1990: 48.3 %1995: 50.3 %2000: 51.8 %2005: 53.4 %2010: 54.2 %2015: 54.9 %2020: 56.1 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic is 56.1%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

That represents a change of up 3.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic peaked at 56.1% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 41.6%, in 1950.

That places Central African Republic 193rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 42.2% 41.6% 42.8% 2
1960s 45.0% 44.2% 45.8% 2
1970s 48.7% 47.8% 49.6% 2
1980s 48.2% 47.7% 48.7% 2
1990s 49.3% 48.3% 50.3% 2
2000s 52.6% 51.8% 53.4% 2
2010s 54.5% 54.2% 54.9% 2
2020s 56.1% 56.1% 56.1% 1

Countries ranked near Central African Republic

  1. 190 Latvia 57.1% compare
  2. 191 Maldives 56.5% compare
  3. 192 Belize 56.1% compare
  4. 194 Fiji 55.6% compare
  5. 195 Guinea-Bissau 54.9% compare
  6. 196 Ireland 54.8% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Central African Republic

All data for Central African Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic?
Share of population living in urban areas in Central African Republic was 56.1% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Central African Republic?
The highest recorded value was 56.1% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Central African Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 41.6% in 1950.
How does Central African Republic rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Central African Republic ranks 193rd out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Central African Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Central African Republic data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.