If you lived in Albania instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 95.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 22.1 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 10.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 25.4 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 100.0% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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be 70.1% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 71.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Albania, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2022.

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make 23.4 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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be 74.9% more likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.0% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Albania, it is 97.7% as of 2023.

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be 85.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 78.1% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 6.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 33.9% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 68.9% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Safety

be 58.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 1244.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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live with 14.1 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 39.8% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 29.8 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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