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Central African Republic: cities by population

By James Burfield, SEO consultant, Bath · Page updated · UN World Population Prospects

Central African Republic has a population of 5,698,984 (UN estimate, 2026), with Bangui as its capital. The 50 largest of its 51 recorded towns and cities, ranked.

+49%
since 2000 (3,833,416)
+86%
projected by 2050 (10,616,753)
9
people per km²
19501975200020252050 1.4M 10.6M
UN estimates to 2026; the dashed line is the medium-variant projection to 2050, a forecast rather than a measurement. Source: World Population Prospects 2024.
Full UN series, 1950 to 2050
YearPopulation
19501,438,057
19752,313,916
20003,833,416
20054,288,810
20104,492,995
20154,629,320
20205,026,628
20255,513,282
20265,698,984
2030 projected6,478,245
2050 projected10,616,753

Medium variant. Figures from 2026 onward are projections, not measurements.

Figures are the latest available in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0), which draws on national censuses of varying dates — treat them as recent, not same-year. Country totals are UN World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant) where the UN lists the country separately; the handful it reports under a parent state keep a GeoNames figure and are marked as such. Sources & method.

Largest cities in Central African Republic

#PlaceRegionPopulation
1BanguiBangui812,407
2BimboOmbella-M'Poko348,802
3BégouaOmbella-M'Poko264,067
4CarnotMambéré129,032
5BerbératiMambéré-Kadéï103,713
6BambariOuaka83,029
7BouarNana-Mambéré71,680
8BossangoaOuham55,353
9Kaga-BandoroNana-Grébizi55,047
10BangassouMbomou54,059
11PaouaLim-Pendé47,703
12BriaHaute-Kotto47,226
13KouangoOuaka36,575
14BocarangaOuham-Pendé36,418
15BabouaNana-Mambéré33,739
16AlindaoBasse-Kotto32,588
17SibutKémo31,986
18NolaSangha-Mbaéré31,923
19IppyOuaka28,319
20NdéléBamingui-Bangoran27,071
21BatangafoOuham-Fafa24,119
22MbaïkiLobaye21,867
23YalokéOmbella-M'Poko21,710
24BozoumOuham-Pendé20,665
25AbbaNana-Mambéré20,043
26DekoaKémo19,639
27BoucaOuham-Fafa19,320
28BoaliOmbella-M'Poko18,090
29BaoroNana-Mambéré18,089
30ZemioHaut-Mbomou17,829
31BossembéléOmbella-M'Poko17,203
32BobanguiLobaye16,486
33KaboOuham-Fafa16,279
34GrimariOuaka14,941
35OboHaut-Mbomou14,402
36GamboulaMambéré-Kadéï13,048
37BodaLobaye11,688
38Bossemtele IOuham-Pendé11,136
39MbrésNana-Grébizi10,269
40MongoumbaLobaye9,985
41DamaraOmbella-M'Poko9,117
42BayangaSangha-Mbaéré8,920
43BiraoVakaga8,457
44KembéBasse-Kotto7,317
45MobayeBasse-Kotto7,179
46BaminguiBamingui-Bangoran6,230
47OuaddaHaute-Kotto5,434
48GamboMbomou4,971
49OuangoMbomou4,365
50KaboroOuham2,917

Twenty years earlier: Central African Republic in the 2005 World Gazetteer — population then 3,228,916.

Common questions

What is the population of Central African Republic?
Central African Republic has a population of 5,698,984, the UN World Population Prospects estimate for 2026. The UN's medium-variant projection for 2050 is 10,616,753 — a forecast, not a measurement.
What is the capital of Central African Republic?
Bangui.

Go deeper

Bangui
The largest place we record in Central African Republic: 812,407 people
Central African Republic in 2005
The World Gazetteer's archive edition: 3,228,916 then
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