Language

Official language
French 15% and Sango 80%

Other languages (5%)
Chadian Arabic (63,000), Hausa (20,000), Lingala (10,700), Bangi (7,440), Ngbaka (3,000), Mbanja (1,400), Ngbandi (290), and Bomitaba (220).

T-index 0.00073%

T-Index ranks countries according to their potential for online sales.

Demography

Capitals: Bangui
Currency: South African Rand
Population: 5,457 m
Population density: 9/km2

Economy

GDP: 2.52 billion USD (2021)
GDP per capita: 461.1 USD ‎(2021)
Exports: 127 million USD (2020)

Statistics

Unemployment rate: 6.6% (2021)
Urbanisation: 91.99% (2020)
Literacy: 37% (2020)
Internet users: 31% penetration, 355.1 thousands

By 2025 more than 50% of SubSaharan Africa will have a mobile connection, of which 65% will have a smartphone. This will result in more than 475 million mobile internet users; the top three markets for smartphone users are projected to be Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya.

Conventions

Numbering system
Arabic numerals and comma as decimal separator. The comma is official. but the point is used in business

Date format: dd – mm – yyyy
Time: 24h time system
Country code: 00236

Media

Media language French

Information channels
Although some years have passed since the 2013 coup and the ensuing violence, attacks on the media continue and journalists are caught up in feuding between the warring parties, says Reporters Without Borders. Radio is the most popular medium. State-run Radio Centrafrique has limited FM coverage. Radio Ndeke Luka (“bird of luck”), run by Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle, provides balanced output and rebroadcasts international news bulletins. The UN stabilization mission (MINUSCA) runs Guira FM, which is available in the capital and in the regions. The station is named after a tree under which differences are solved. There are about two dozen privately-owned radio stations. Many of them are run by religious organizations. Newspapers are privately owned. Their reach is limited by low literacy levels and a lack of distribution in rural areas. BBC World Service (90.2 FM), Radio France Internationale, and the Voice of America are available via local relays in Bangui.

The press

Le Citoyen – private, daily
Le Confident – private, daily
L’Hirondelle – private, daily
Centrafric Matin – private, daily
La Fraternite – private, daily
Le Democrate – private, daily

Television

Television Centrafricaine (TVCA) – state-run

Radio

Radio Centrafrique – state-run
Radio Notre Dame – Catholic
Radio Ndeke Luka – run by Swiss NGO Fondation Hirondelle
Guira FM – operated by the UN stabilization mission

News agency

Centrafrique-presse – private, news

Internet Data

Internet users
31% penetration, 355.1 thousand

Share of web traffic by device
62.54% mobile phones, 36.14% computers (laptops and desktops), 1.32% tablet devices, others 0%

Most popular web search engines
Google (97.73%), Bing (1.64%), Yahoo (0.34%), Yandex (0.21%), Duckduckgo (0.04%), Naver (0.02%)

Mobile connection as a percentage of the total population
33.1%

Percentage of mobile connections that are broadband (3G-5G)
38.1%

Most used social media
Facebook (98.34%), Twitter (1.05%), YouTube (0.25%), Pinterest (0.14%), Instagram (0.14%), Linkedin (0.07%)

Social statistics

Life expectancy
55 yrs (2020)

Healthcare Expenditure
7.75% of GDP (2019)

Average age of the population
17.6 yrs (2020)

Gender
Gender equality is still far from reality in the Central African Republic. However, in the workplace, you should respect female colleagues as well as other females in the organization. Girls (women) in a position of responsibility get as much respect as a man in the same position would; yet their authority may be questioned if they tend to impose their ideas in an aggressive fashion.

Religion
Most Central Africans are devout and the majority are practicing Christians. There is no religious discrimination. Christians and Muslims work together and large gatherings (prayer days, for example) are organized by all faiths.

Class
There are different social classes: the elite, who have a good standard of living, and the majority who have trouble making ends meet. People will react if they feel exploited or abused.

Ethnicity
For some time now and with the advent of democracy in Central Africa and its resulting social effects, ethnic tensions have been coming to the surface. The repercussions of these attitudes may engender unhealthy work environments, hindering cooperation and teamwork.