Life expectancy in Central African Republic

Central African Republic: Life expectancy was 57.41 years in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
57.41 years
Change on year
up 205.1%
World rank
233rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
57.41 years
in 2023
All-time low
14.67 years
in 2009
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Life expectancy in Central African Republic, 1950–2023

102030405060195019862023

Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.

Analysis

Central African Republic recorded 57.41 years for life expectancy in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

The figure is up 205.1% on the previous year and up 16.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, life expectancy in Central African Republic peaked at 57.41 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.67 years, in 2009.

Central African Republic ranks 233rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.

Life expectancy in Central African Republic, year by year

Annual values for Life expectancy in Central African Republic, 1950 to 2023.
Year years Change
1950 35.44 years
1951 35.84 years +1.1%
1952 36.25 years +1.1%
1953 36.64 years +1.1%
1954 37.04 years +1.1%
1955 37.44 years +1.1%
1956 37.84 years +1.1%
1957 38.25 years +1.1%
1958 38.67 years +1.1%
1959 39.1 years +1.1%
1960 39.57 years +1.2%
1961 40.06 years +1.2%
1962 40.56 years +1.3%
1963 41.09 years +1.3%
1964 41.64 years +1.3%
1965 42.21 years +1.4%
1966 42.79 years +1.4%
1967 43.38 years +1.4%
1968 43.98 years +1.4%
1969 44.58 years +1.4%
1970 45.18 years +1.3%
1971 45.76 years +1.3%
1972 46.33 years +1.2%
1973 46.88 years +1.2%
1974 47.41 years +1.1%
1975 47.89 years +1.0%
1976 48.36 years +1.0%
1977 48.78 years +0.9%
1978 49.16 years +0.8%
1979 49.5 years +0.7%
1980 49.79 years +0.6%
1981 50.03 years +0.5%
1982 50.21 years +0.4%
1983 50.34 years +0.3%
1984 50.43 years +0.2%
1985 50.46 years +0.1%
1986 50.44 years -0.0%
1987 50.37 years -0.1%
1988 50.24 years -0.3%
1989 50.07 years -0.3%
1990 49.85 years -0.4%
1991 49.57 years -0.6%
1992 49.21 years -0.7%
1993 48.9 years -0.6%
1994 48.51 years -0.8%
1995 48.11 years -0.8%
1996 47.7 years -0.9%
1997 47.28 years -0.9%
1998 47.09 years -0.4%
1999 46.91 years -0.4%
2000 46.61 years -0.6%
2001 46.73 years +0.3%
2002 46.84 years +0.2%
2003 47.31 years +1.0%
2004 47.7 years +0.8%
2005 48.21 years +1.1%
2006 48.69 years +1.0%
2007 49.33 years +1.3%
2008 49.87 years +1.1%
2009 14.67 years -70.6%
2010 46.87 years +219.6%
2011 50.11 years +6.9%
2012 51.34 years +2.5%
2013 49.49 years -3.6%
2014 40.27 years -18.6%
2015 51.93 years +29.0%
2016 51 years -1.8%
2017 45.23 years -11.3%
2018 52.3 years +15.6%
2019 31.53 years -39.7%
2020 50.6 years +60.5%
2021 40.28 years -20.4%
2022 18.82 years -53.3%
2023 57.41 years +205.1%

Central African Republic compared with similar countries

  • Central African Republic's 57.41 years is below the median for low income countries, which is 63.65 years, 90% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Central African Republic's 57.41 years is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 64.1 years, 90% of the median. (48 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Life expectancy in Central African Republic changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2010 +219.6% 14.67 years 46.87 years
2023 +205.1% 18.82 years 57.41 years
2009 -70.6% 49.87 years 14.67 years
2020 +60.5% 31.53 years 50.6 years
2022 -53.3% 40.28 years 18.82 years
2019 -39.7% 52.3 years 31.53 years

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 37.25 years 35.44 years 39.1 years 10
1960s 41.99 years 39.57 years 44.58 years 10
1970s 47.52 years 45.18 years 49.5 years 10
1980s 50.24 years 49.79 years 50.46 years 10
1990s 48.31 years 46.91 years 49.85 years 10
2000s 44.59 years 14.67 years 49.87 years 10
2010s 47.01 years 31.53 years 52.3 years 10
2020s 41.78 years 18.82 years 57.41 years 4

Countries ranked near Central African Republic

  1. 230 Mali 60.44 years compare
  2. 231 Somalia 58.82 years compare
  3. 232 South Sudan 57.62 years compare
  4. 234 Lesotho 57.37 years compare
  5. 235 Chad 55.07 years compare
  6. 236 Nigeria 54.46 years compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More health data for Central African Republic

All data for Central African Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is life expectancy in Central African Republic?
Life expectancy in Central African Republic was 57.41 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest life expectancy recorded in Central African Republic?
The highest recorded value was 57.41 years in 2023.
What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in Central African Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 14.67 years in 2009.
How does Central African Republic rank for life expectancy?
Central African Republic ranks 233rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is life expectancy rising or falling in Central African Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Central African Republic data come from?
The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Life expectancy in Central African Republic. Statizoid, drawing on Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/life-expectancy-marimekko/central-african-republic/

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About this data

Indicator
Life expectancy
Unit
years
Source
Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 19,452 data points, 1543–2023
Last refreshed

Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.