Photo: David Holt London · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 03 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Central African Republic: Work & Labour
Can people find work, and on what terms?
Central African Republic is placed 149th of 182 countries on work & labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Employment-to-Population Ratio 68.8 (2025); Labour Income Share 31.27 (2025).
Work & Labour
149th
of 182 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Central African Republic on work & labour — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Employment-to-Population Ratio
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much of the working-age population is actually in work — the half of the picture unemployment hides, because people who stop looking stop being counted.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
68.8
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)
Higher is better
Central African Republic: 68.8. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 21.21 (São Tomé and Príncipe) to 86.9 (Qatar); the world median is 57.72.
- World median
- 57.72
- Best in Middle Africa
- 68.8 Central African Republic
- Land neighbours
- Cameroon 62.82 · DR Congo 61.45 · Republic of the Congo 54.34 · Chad 58.81
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Unemployment Rate
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: The share of people looking for work who cannot find it.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
6.251
Unemployment (% of labour force)
Lower is better
Central African Republic: 6.251. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.13 (Qatar) to 34.2 (Eswatini); the world median is 5.084.
- World median
- 5.084
- Best in Middle Africa
- 1.057 Chad
- Land neighbours
- Cameroon 3.602 · DR Congo 4.434 · Republic of the Congo 19.88 · Chad 1.057
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Vulnerable Employment
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much work is own-account or unpaid family labour, carrying no contract and no protection.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
79.42
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment)
Lower is better
Central African Republic: 79.42. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.456 (Qatar) to 90.22 (Chad); the world median is 28.67.
- World median
- 28.67
- Best in Middle Africa
- 23.08 Equatorial Guinea
- Land neighbours
- Cameroon 67.56 · DR Congo 81.51 · Republic of the Congo 75.89 · Chad 90.22
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
02Over time
Which way Central African Republic is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Employment-to-Population Ratio
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%) · higher is better
Central African RepublicWorld median
Central African Republic rose from 68.47 in 2000 to 68.8 in 2025; the world median went from 55.86 to 57.72.
Every year’s figures
Year Central African Republic World median 2025 68.802 57.720 2024 68.830 57.694 2023 68.886 58.158 2022 68.810 57.688 2021 67.760 56.066 2020 67.986 55.691 2019 69.080 57.871 2018 69.153 56.911 2017 69.140 56.738 2016 69.166 56.845 2015 69.181 56.788 2014 69.169 56.774 2013 69.036 56.229 2012 68.884 56.289 2011 68.714 56.297 2010 68.621 56.212 2009 68.611 56.255 2008 68.602 57.308 2007 68.544 56.933 2006 68.479 56.685 2005 68.406 56.129 2004 68.393 55.465 2003 68.347 55.630 2002 68.379 55.843 2001 68.426 56.018 2000 68.469 55.861 Labour Income Share
Labour income share of GDP (%) · higher is better
Central African RepublicWorld median
Central African Republic rose from 31.03 in 2004 to 31.27 in 2025; the world median went from 46.01 to 46.23.
Every year’s figures
Year Central African Republic World median 2025 31.27 46.230 2024 31.39 46.060 2023 31.60 45.900 2022 31.54 45.615 2021 31.04 45.433 2020 30.34 47.267 2019 31.31 46.277 2018 31.28 46.187 2017 31.22 46.467 2016 31.20 46.798 2015 31.22 46.876 2014 31.59 47.281 2013 35.12 46.887 2012 30.87 46.231 2011 31.03 45.679 2010 31.05 46.024 2009 30.71 47.071 2008 31.40 45.312 2007 31.15 45.246 2006 31.15 45.670 2005 31.55 46.265 2004 31.03 46.012 Unemployment Rate
Unemployment (% of labour force) · lower is better
Central African RepublicWorld median
Central African Republic rose from 5.722 in 2000 to 6.251 in 2025; the world median went from 6.918 to 5.084.
Every year’s figures
Year Central African Republic World median 2025 6.251 5.08 2024 6.253 5.15 2023 6.181 5.21 2022 6.287 5.34 2021 6.701 6.04 2020 6.519 6.38 2019 5.916 5.36 2018 5.825 5.35 2017 5.836 5.59 2016 5.793 5.90 2015 5.775 6.41 2014 5.633 6.58 2013 5.566 6.71 2012 5.580 6.79 2011 5.638 6.90 2010 5.658 7.04 2009 5.575 6.67 2008 5.510 5.79 2007 5.562 6.00 2006 5.610 6.50 2005 5.691 7.09 2004 5.729 6.80 2003 5.809 6.95 2002 5.809 6.91 2001 5.770 6.96 2000 5.722 6.92 Vulnerable Employment
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment) · lower is better
Central African RepublicWorld median
Central African Republic fell from 79.43 in 2000 to 79.42 in 2025; the world median went from 35.67 to 28.67.
Every year’s figures
Year Central African Republic World median 2025 79.422 28.67 2024 79.501 29.04 2023 79.587 29.33 2022 79.715 29.67 2021 79.831 30.01 2020 80.353 30.54 2019 79.556 29.98 2018 79.691 30.15 2017 79.749 29.93 2016 79.728 29.91 2015 79.602 30.26 2014 79.382 30.47 2013 78.942 31.14 2012 78.363 31.00 2011 78.621 31.41 2010 78.855 32.37 2009 79.050 32.59 2008 79.218 31.76 2007 79.268 33.47 2006 79.342 34.27 2005 79.389 34.66 2004 79.374 35.51 2003 79.383 35.90 2002 79.337 35.96 2001 79.394 35.27 2000 79.431 35.67
03In context
Central African Republic beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 182 countries on work & labour, never a place within the region.
Central African Republic and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 182 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Employment-to-Population RatioEmployed share of the population aged 15+ (%) | Labour Income ShareLabour income share of GDP (%) | Unemployment RateUnemployment (% of labour force) | Vulnerable EmploymentVulnerable employment (% of total employment) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cameroon | 97th | 62.82 | 44.37 | 3.602 | 67.56 |
 Chad | =117th | 58.81 | 39.11 | 1.057 | 90.22 |
 DR Congo | 137th | 61.45 | 37.74 | 4.434 | 81.51 |
| Central African Republic | 149th | 68.8 | 31.27 | 6.251 | 79.42 |
 Republic of the Congo | 170th | 54.34 | 44.06 | 19.88 | 75.89 |
 South Sudan | not placed | — | — | — | — |
 Sudan | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Middle Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 182.
Placed either side on work & labour
The countries immediately above and below Central African Republic in the topic’s list.
Albania=146th
Panama=146th
Mongolia148th- Central African Republic149th
Papua New Guinea150th
Türkiye151st
Samoa152nd
04Context, no vote
Where Central African Republic is ahead of the world, and behind
14 more statistics filed under work & labour, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median4
Statistics on which Central African Republic does better than the middle country measured.
Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 61.6673.3961.66No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 73.39 · world median 61.66 · Population aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.34 to 87.01; higher is better.
Position 20th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3665.4653.36▲ Improved since 2015
Central African Republic: 65.46 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 22nd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Trade Union DensityILO · 2020 · world median 16.6821.9316.68No earlier reading
Central African Republic: 21.93 · world median 16.68 · Employees who are trade union members (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.2 to 91.42; higher is better.
Position 49th of 139 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Youth Unemployment RateILO · 2025 · world median 12.8310.0912.83▼ Worsened since 2015
Central African Republic: 10.09 · world median 12.83 · Unemployment, ages 15-24 (% of youth labour force). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.457 to 76.77; lower is better.
Position 110th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median4
Statistics on which Central African Republic does worse than the middle country measured.
Firms with a Female Top ManagerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 19.1610.2219.16No earlier reading
Central African Republic: 10.22 · world median 19.16 · Firms with a female top manager (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.429 to 62.9; higher is better.
Position 142nd of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.88569.684.885No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 69.68 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
Labour Productivity per Hour WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 22.161.4922.16No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 1.49 · world median 22.16 · Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.92 to 164.65; higher is better.
Position 179th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 47,3843,18047,384No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 3,180 · world median 47,384 · GDP per person employed (constant 2021 international $). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2,456 to 262,554; higher is better.
Position 167th of 168 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end6
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Self-Employment RateILO · 2025 · world median 31.8485.431.84Moved since 2015
Central African Republic: 85.4 · world median 31.84 · Self-employed (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.832 to 91.56.
Position 6th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3866.0614.38Moved since 2015
Central African Republic: 66.06 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.
Position 7th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Average Weekly Hours WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 38.8939.9438.89No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 39.94 · world median 38.89 · Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.64 to 54.7.
Position 84th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in IndustryILO · 2025 · world median 18.8813.3918.88Moved since 2015
Central African Republic: 13.39 · world median 18.88 · Employment in industry (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 3.103 to 39.44.
Position 149th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Public Sector EmploymentWorld Bank Group · 2022 · world median 15.014.23515.01No earlier reading
Central African Republic: 4.235 · world median 15.01 · Public sector employment (% of total employment). World Bank Group, 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 1.672 to 47.1.
Position 116th of 135 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in ServicesILO · 2025 · world median 59.5120.5559.51No real change since 2015
Central African Republic: 20.55 · world median 59.51 · Employment in services (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.56 to 92.17.
Position 179th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for Central African Republic
Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Informal Employment Rate and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Work & Labour among Central African Republic’s 15 topics
Work & Labour is Central African Republic’s 5th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Environment & Sustainability15th of 1813/3 keys
- Mobility & Tradejoint 80th of 1472/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties153rd of 1983/3 keys
- Gender & Equality148th of 1834/4 keys
- Work & Labour149th of 1824/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture147th of 1752/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience171st of 1923/3 keys
- Governance & Institutions176th of 1944/4 keys
- Peace & Security163rd of 1774/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality151st of 1592/2 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 191st of 1982/3 keys
- Development & Human Capital193rd of 1963/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeingjoint 197th of 2003/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge169th of 1713/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation174th of 1762/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on work & labour
The three countries placed highest of 182, and the leaders Central African Republic can most readily be measured against.
1
IcelandNorthern Europe
1st of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
JapanEastern Asia
2nd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
South KoreaEastern Asia
3rd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Nigeria16th4/4 keysHighest in Middle Africa
Cameroon97th4/4 keysThis page
Central African Republic149th4/4 keys
Positions out of 182 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Central African Republic and work & labour
On work & labour
Countries in Asia with the highest average salaries 2024
Thirteen Asian countries by gross average monthly wage, each carrying its WORLD rank rather than an Asian one — so the numbers skip, from 11th place to 45th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Highest Average Salaries in 2024
The ten highest-paying countries of 2024, their bars coloured by continent, and six more added for comparison — from Australia in 13th place to India in 85th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Lowest Average Salaries in 2024
The bottom ten of 196 countries, and six more added for comparison. Niger, Madagascar and Liberia are all published at US$47 a month and still carry three different ranks.
08Questions
Central African Republic on work & labour: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Central African Republic rank on work & labour?
Central African Republic is placed 149th of 182 countries on Work & Labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Employment-to-Population Ratio, Labour Income Share, Unemployment Rate and Vulnerable Employment). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Employment-to-Population Ratio figure for Central African Republic?
68.8 in 2025 (employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 57.72.
What is the latest Labour Income Share figure for Central African Republic?
31.27 in 2025 (labour income share of GDP (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 46.23.
How does Central African Republic compare with DR Congo on work & labour?
DR Congo is placed 137th of 182, and Central African Republic 149th. Employment-to-Population Ratio: DR Congo 61.45, Central African Republic 68.8; Labour Income Share: DR Congo 37.74, Central African Republic 31.27; Unemployment Rate: DR Congo 4.434, Central African Republic 6.251; Vulnerable Employment: DR Congo 81.51, Central African Republic 79.42.
How have Central African Republic’s work & labour figures changed?
Employment-to-Population Ratio rose from 68.47 in 2000 to 68.8 in 2025; Labour Income Share rose from 31.03 in 2004 to 31.27 in 2025; Unemployment Rate rose from 5.722 in 2000 to 6.251 in 2025; Vulnerable Employment fell from 79.43 in 2000 to 79.42 in 2025.
Which work & labour statistics are missing for Central African Republic?
No current reading is published for Central African Republic on Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Informal Employment Rate and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
Central African Republic, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions176th of 194
- Economy & Innovation174th of 176
- Education & Knowledge169th of 171
- Health & Wellbeing=197th of 200
- Development & Human Capital193rd of 196
- Environment & Sustainability15th of 181
- Gender & Equality148th of 183
- Democracy & Civil Liberties153rd of 198
- Peace & Security163rd of 177
- Risk & Resilience171st of 192
- Mobility & Trade=80th of 147
- Food & Agriculture147th of 175
- Poverty & Inequality151st of 159
- Digital & Technology=191st of 198
- The full Central African Republic profile
Nearby, on work & labour
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Wages in money terms are not a key here, because pay figures are hard to compare fairly across countries with very different prices. Labour productivity, working hours, youth unemployment and the balance between farming, industry and services are published on this page as context. The size and growth of the wider economy belong to Economy & Innovation.
How the Work & Labour standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 18 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. All of them describe 2025.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 182 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Employment-to-Population Ratio — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Labour Income Share — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Unemployment Rate — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Vulnerable Employment — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
The other 14 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Central African Republic’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Central African Republic (banner) — David Holt London, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Iceland — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Central African Republic: Work & Labour — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/central-african-republic/work