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

Health

live 6.2 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 Kenya, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Kenya spends $274 as of 2023.

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have 3.9 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Kenya has 2.9 as of 2023.

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have 65.6% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Kenya scores 53 as of 2021.

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be 50.2% less likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Kenya, it is 4.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 25.0% more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Kenya, that number is 3.0% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 12.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Kenya, that number is 5.5% as of 2025.

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be 42.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Kenya, however, that number is 39.8% as of 2022.

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make 4.2 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Kenya, the GDP per capita is $2,363 as of 2025.

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Life

be 78.5% 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 Kenya, 149.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.2 times more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Kenya, it is 82.6% as of 2021.

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be 41.8% 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 Kenya, on the other hand, 34.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 41.6% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Kenya, there are 27.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.3 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 Kenya, that number is 76% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Kenya, about 35.0% do as of 2024.

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be 79.7% 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 Kenya, that number is 66% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 59.2% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Kenya, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 2.2 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Kenya spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Infrastructure

find 152.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Kenya has 3.0 as of 2024.

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live with 97.8 times more strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Kenya withdraws 33% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 66.3% 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 Kenya, it causes 33.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.3 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Kenya emits 0.4 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Kenya: At a glance

Kenya is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 569,140 sq km. Founding president and liberation struggle icon Jomo KENYATTA led Kenya from independence in 1963 until his death in 1978, when President Daniel MOI took power in a constitutional succession. The country was a de facto one-party state from 1969 until 1982 when the ruling Kenya African National Union (KANU) made itself the sole legal party in Kenya. MOI acceded to internal and external pressure for political liberalization in late 1991. The ethnically fractured opposition failed to dislodge KANU from power in elections in 1992 and 1997, which were marred by violence and fraud, but were viewed as having generally reflected the will of the Kenyan people. President MOI stepped down in December 2002 following fair and peaceful elections. Mwai KIBAKI, running as the candidate of the multiethnic, united opposition group, the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), defeated KANU candidate Uhuru KENYATTA and assumed the presidency following a campaign centered on an anticorruption platform. KIBAKI's NARC coalition splintered in 2005 over a constitutional review process. Government defectors joined with KANU to form a new opposition coalition, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which defeated the government's draft constitution in a popular referendum in November 2005. KIBAKI's reelection in December 2007 brought charges of vote rigging from ODM candidate Raila ODINGA and unleashed two months of violence in which as many as 1,500 people died. African Union-sponsored mediation led by former UN Secretary General Kofi ANNAN in late February 2008 resulted in a power-sharing accord bringing ODINGA into the government in the restored position of prime minister. The power sharing accord included a broad reform agenda, the centerpiece of which was constitutional reform. In August 2010, Kenyans overwhelmingly adopted a new constitution in a national referendum. The new constitution introduced additional checks and balances to executive power and significant devolution of power and resources to 47 newly created counties. It also eliminated the position of prime minister following the first presidential election under the new constitution, which occurred on 4 March 2013. Uhuru KENYATTA, the son of founding president Jomo KENYATTA, won the March elections in the first round by a close margin and was sworn into office on 9 April 2013.
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