South Sudan is 1.01× the size of Central African Republic

South Sudan covers about 627,000 km² (242,000 mi²) and Central African Republic about 618,000 km² (239,000 mi²). Below, both outlines are drawn at one scale and centred on each other.

627,000km²South Sudan
618,000km²Central African Republic

500 km

South Sudan
Central African Republic

What fits

Central African Republic is 99% of the size of South Sudan.
South Sudan is larger by 8,880 km² (3,430 mi²), which is 1.4% of the area of Central African Republic.
Measured in Belgiums: South Sudan is about 20.4, Central African Republic about 20.1.

How they differ

South Sudan also has the larger population: 12.6 million against 5.2 million, 2.44× as many people.
Per square kilometre that is 20 in South Sudan against 8.3 in Central African Republic: South Sudan is 2.41× as densely populated.
Their centres are about 1,090 km apart.
Together South Sudan and Central African Republic cover 1,245,000 km², close to the size of Angola (1,245,000 km², 0.0% smaller).
The gap between them, 8,880 km², is about the size of Lebanon (10,000 km²).
At Central African Republic's density, South Sudan would have 5.2 million people (it has 12.6 million). At South Sudan's density, Central African Republic would have 12.4 million (it has 5.2 million).
South Sudan's centre is 0.7° of latitude, about 80 km, farther north than Central African Republic's.

Who wins on what

Measure	Winner	By
Larger area	South Sudan	1.01×
More people	South Sudan	2.44×
More crowded	South Sudan	2.41×
Farther north	South Sudan	0.7° of latitude

Both against the same yardsticks

Yardstick	South Sudan	Central African Republic
Belgium 30,700 km²	20.4×	20.1×
United Kingdom 244,000 km²	2.57×	2.53×
Germany 358,000 km²	1.75×	1.73×
Japan 374,000 km²	1.68×	1.65×
France 548,000 km²	1.14×	1.13×
India 3,151,000 km²	0.20×	0.20×
Brazil 8,473,000 km²	0.07×	0.07×
United States 9,447,000 km²	0.07×	0.07×
Russia 16,980,000 km²	0.04×	0.04×

Each figure is the place's area divided by the yardstick's.

Side by side

	South Sudan	Central African Republic
Area, main territory	627,000 km²242,000 mi²	618,000 km²239,000 mi²
Population	12.6 millionWikidata, 2017	5.2 millionWikidata, 2023
Density	20 per km²	8.3 per km²
Official area	644,000 km²Wikidata	623,000 km²Wikidata
Capital	Juba	Bangui
Latitude range	3°N to 12°N	2°N to 11°N
Continent	Africa	Africa

Population: Wikidata 2017 and Wikidata 2023, covering each whole country. Official figures: Wikidata (CC0).

Our measured 627,000 km² is 2.7% below Wikidata's official figure of 644,000 km². Official figures can include inland water or count land that an outline draws differently.
Wikidata's official figure of 623,000 km² agrees with our measured area of 618,000 km², to within 2%.

Similar in size to South Sudan

Similar in size to Central African Republic

More comparisons

Sources and method

Outlines: Natural Earth, 1:10m Admin 0 - Countries, public domain
Boundary: De facto, as drawn by Natural Earth. Main territory: the largest landmass and every part within 1,000 km of it.
Area: Measured on the WGS84 ellipsoid from the full-detail outlines, shown rounded. Comparisons use main-territory area.
Drawing: Each outline is projected with an equal-area projection centred on its own centroid, so areas stay true and the two can be laid over each other.
Data built: 2026-11-11

Full method