Central African Republic: Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Central African Republic's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 55.28 billion on 2020 (from -1.07 billion to -56.35 billion).

Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2020), the average change was −673.52 million and a typical year strayed about 41.1 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 75.92 billion in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 55.28 billion in 2021. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 11% of the movement over 9 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

Closest to Central African Republic in the 2021 ranking

• Maldives — 3rd of 8: -8.19 billion
• Peru — 4th of 8: -28.47 billion
• Burundi — 5th of 8: -47.83 billion
• Cameroon — 7th of 8: -686.91 billion
• Bangladesh — 8th of 8: -996.26 billion

What this measures

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (–) equals government revenue minus expense, minus net investment in nonfinancial assets. It is also equal to the net result of transactions in financial assets and liabilities. Net lending/net borrowing is a summary measure indicating the extent to which government is either putting financial resources at the disposal of other sectors in the economy or abroad, or utilizing the financial resources generated by other sectors in the economy or from abroad. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This series is expressed in local currency units.

Limitations: For most countries central government finance data have been consolidated into one account, but for others only budgetary central government accounts are available. Countries reporting budgetary data are noted in the country metadata. Because budgetary accounts may not include all central government units (such as social security funds), they usually provide an incomplete picture. In federal states the central government accounts provide an incomplete view of total public finance. Data on government revenue and expense are collected by the IMF through questionnaires to member countries and by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

All 14 values

Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) in nearby economies

• Angola — -1.35 trillion (2024)
• Botswana — -11.15 billion (2023)
• Burkina Faso — -758.19 billion (2024)
• Burundi — -47.83 billion (2021)
• Cabo Verde — -16.52 billion (2020)
• Cameroon — -686.91 billion (2021)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — -2.92 trillion (2022)
• Congo, Rep. — 107.42 billion (2021)
• Côte d'Ivoire — -2.65 trillion (2023)
• Equatorial Guinea

More public sector data for Central African Republic

• Armed forces personnel, total — 10,000 (2020)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.54% (2020)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 74.19 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 43.14 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.33% (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 12.46% (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 43 million (2023)
• CPIA business regulatory environment rating (1=low to 6=high) — 2 (2025)
• CPIA debt policy rating (1=low to 6=high)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Central African Republic's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU)?

-56.35 billion in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2004?

It is down 1,676% from -3.17 billion in 2004. The highest value was 45.93 billion in 2019 and the lowest -88.74 billion in 2010.

Is the latest change in net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) unusual for Central African Republic?

In 2021, Central African Republic's net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) fell 55.28 billion on 2020 (from -1.07 billion to -56.35 billion). Across the 10 yearly changes before that (2009 to 2020), the average change was −673.52 million and a typical year strayed about 41.1 billion from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.3 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator GC.NLD.TOTL.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Government Finance Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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