expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.8% (male 806,506; female 795,639)
15-64 years: 53.8% (male 990,522; female 1,021,491)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 53,860; female 74,464) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 18 years
male: 17.7 years
female: 18.4 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.56% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
35.55 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
19.99 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 92.15 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 84.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 99.09 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.36 years
male: 39.7 years
female: 43.08 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.59 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
13.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
260,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
23,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Central African(s)
adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups:
Baya 33%, Banda 27%, Mandjia 13%, Sara 10%, Mboum 7%, M'Baka 4%,
Yakoma 4%, other 2%

Religions:
indigenous beliefs 35%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim
15%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the
Christian majority

Languages:
French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national language),
tribal languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51%
male: 63.3%
female: 39.9% (2003 est.)

Government Central African Republic

Country name:
conventional long form: Central African Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
former: Ubangi-Shari, Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR
local short form: none

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Bangui

Administrati