Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Central African Republic, you would:
Health
live 12.5 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
see 9.2 times more spent on your healthcare
Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 26.1 times more doctors per person
Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more access to essential health services
Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
be 25.7% less likely to die by suicide
Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.0 times more likely to be obese
In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 31.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 11.8 times more money
Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 99.3% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to be literate
In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Turkmenistan, it is 99.9% as of 2022.
be 48.3% 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
have 54.7% fewer children
In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 83.6% more likely to have internet access
In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
be 2.7 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 Turkmenistan, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 48.4% less on healthcare
Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 2.3 times more on education
Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 95.0% less likely to be murdered
Central African Republic has a homicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Turkmenistan, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 69.1% 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 Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 261.0 times more home broadband
Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
live with 397.7 times more strain on fresh water
Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Turkmenistan withdraws 135% as of 2022.
Environment
be 11.2% 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 Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 181.0 times more CO2
Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Turkmenistan
MORE COMPARISONS
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.