Central African Republic economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
How large the Central African Republic economy is and how fast it is growing, who invests in it, what it sells and buys, how much its citizens abroad send home, who it owes and what it holds in reserve. The latest published year is shown with each figure.
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Central African Republic economy snapshot: GDP, growth and income per person
Central African Republic's GDP was US$3.1 billion in 2025, after real growth of 4.5%.
GDP
Current US dollars.
Real GDP growth
Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.
GDP per person
Current US dollars.
Source: World Bank, 2025. Method
Who invests in Central African Republic and in what
Direct investment by investing country
France was the largest investing country in Central African Republic, at 74% of inward direct investment positions in 2024.
Inward direct investment positions in Central African Republic at the end of 2024: the stock of foreign direct investment, not a year's new flow. The 7 largest investing countries.
The IMF data holds no positions reported by Central African Republic itself. The figures are derived by the IMF from what the investing countries report, so they are shown as reported by investing countries.
Source: IMF, 2024. Method
What Central African Republic sells and buys
Aircraft was 50% of exports in 2024.
Central African Republic sold the most to Pakistan, 30% of exports in 2024.
Exports by product, 2024
Tile area follows value. Each tile is a customs chapter of the Harmonized System; hover for the full name.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method
Top buyers, 2024
Share of Central African Republic's exports.
Top suppliers, 2024
Share of Central African Republic's imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method
What Central African Republic buys, 2024
The 8 largest product chapters in imports.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method
Trade balance of goods
Exports minus imports. Red bars are years when imports were larger. A year is left out when either side is not published.
Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method
Remittances against foreign direct investment in Central African Republic
Foreign direct investment net inflows were negative in 2019, 2020 and 2023: more investment left Central African Republic than came in.
No remittances figures for Central African Republic are not published by the World Bank, so none are shown.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Remittances and investment as a share of GDP
The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Who Central African Republic owes
External debt stock by type of creditor. Creditor types cover public and publicly guaranteed debt; the grey part is the rest of the total external debt stock. A creditor type with no published figure is not shown.
Bilateral creditors held 26% of Central African Republic's external debt stock in 2024.
Public external debt owed to China was US$19 million in 2024, 2% of the external debt stock.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Reserves and months of import cover
Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.
No months-of-imports figures for Central African Republic are not published by the World Bank, so none are shown.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Aid received by Central African Republic
Net official development assistance and official aid received.
Source: World Bank, 2026. Method
Where Central African Republic ranks in Africa
Its place among the 54 African countries on each of our Africa rankings. Each tile opens the full ranking with its source.
- GDP per person45th of 53$841, 2025Richest countries in Africa
- Size of the economy45th of 53$4.64 billion, 2025Largest economies in Africa
- Population38th of 535.51 million, 2025African countries by population
- Area20th of 54622,980 sq kmLargest countries in Africa
- Life expectancy52nd of 5457.7 years, 2024Life expectancy in Africa
- US travel advisory48th of 54Level 4, do not travelSafest countries in Africa
- President's time in office11th longest of 51Faustin-Archange Touadéra, 10 yearsLongest serving presidents
- President's age24th oldest of 5169 years oldOldest presidents in Africa
More on Central African Republic
- Central African Republic government directory
- Inflation and unemployment in Central African Republic
- Central African Republic debt: debt to GDP and largest creditors
- Who invests in Africa: the largest foreign investors in every country
- Natural resources in Central African Republic: oil, gas and minerals
- Central Africa: Central African Republic and its neighbours compared
- African economies compared: GDP, investment, trade and remittances
World Bank data pages for Central African Republic: GDP, GDP growth, GDP per person, remittances, foreign direct investment, reserves, months of imports, external debt, debt by creditor, aid. UN Comtrade: trade data. IMF: direct investment positions.
Cite this
PollsAfrica (2026). Central African Republic economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances. Retrieved 10 Oct 2026 from https://pollsafrica.com/economy/central-african-republic