Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Central African Republic

Central African Republic: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 36.0% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
36.0%
World rank
52nd
of 179 countries
All-time high
40.6%
in 1990
All-time low
14.4%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Central African Republic, 1950–2020

0102030401950198520201950: 14.4 %1955: 19.2 %1960: 21.6 %1965: 25.5 %1970: 28.6 %1975: 32.7 %1980: 36 %1985: 39.6 %1990: 40.6 %1995: 37.8 %2000: 36.2 %2005: 35.2 %2010: 35.2 %2015: 36.8 %2020: 36 %

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

Analysis

Central African Republic recorded 36.0% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020.

That represents a change of up 2.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Central African Republic peaked at 40.6% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 14.4%, in 1950.

That places Central African Republic 52nd out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 16.8% 14.4% 19.2% 2
1960s 23.6% 21.6% 25.5% 2
1970s 30.7% 28.6% 32.7% 2
1980s 37.8% 36.0% 39.6% 2
1990s 39.2% 37.8% 40.6% 2
2000s 35.7% 35.2% 36.2% 2
2010s 36.0% 35.2% 36.8% 2
2020s 36.0% 36.0% 36.0% 1

Countries ranked near Central African Republic

  1. 49 Togo 36.4% compare
  2. 50 Trinidad and Tobago 36.2% compare
  3. 51 Zimbabwe 36.1% compare
  4. 53 Argentina 35.9% compare
  5. 54 Mali 35.7% compare
  6. 55 Guinea 35.6% compare

See the full ranking of 179 places →

More population data for Central African Republic

All data for Central African Republic →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Central African Republic?
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Central African Republic was 36.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Central African Republic?
The highest recorded value was 40.6% in 1990.
What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Central African Republic?
The lowest recorded value was 14.4% in 1950.
How does Central African Republic rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
Central African Republic ranks 52nd out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Central African Republic?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.3%. 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 minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. 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 urban population who live in the largest city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
179 places, 2,452 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.