Fuel Prices in the Central African Republic: Why Pump Costs Run High
Drivers in the Central African Republic (C. Afr. Rep.) pay about $1.823 per litre for gasoline and around $2.17 per litre for diesel. In local terms that gasoline price works out to roughly 1,050 XAF per litre, and converted to the unit many overseas readers still use, about $6.90 per US gallon. Those figures place the country at rank 128 of 170 in a global price comparison, meaning fuel here is more expensive than in the majority of nations surveyed and sits well above the world average of $1.484 per litre.
What Actually Drives the Price at the Pump
The single biggest factor is that the Central African Republic is a landlocked, oil-importing country with no domestic refining capacity. Every litre of gasoline and diesel must be trucked in over long, often poorly maintained road corridors, typically from the port of Douala in Cameroon. That overland haul of more than 1,500 kilometres adds substantial transport, security, and insurance costs that coastal nations simply never face. When a country has to import 100% of its finished fuel and move it by road through difficult terrain, logistics alone can push the retail price far above the crude-oil benchmark.
Government pricing policy is the second major lever. Like several countries in the region, the CAR sets regulated retail fuel prices rather than letting them float freely day to day. Taxes and import duties are folded into that administered price, and the state periodically adjusts the structure to balance fiscal revenue against the political risk of public anger over rising costs. There is little room for the broad consumer subsidies seen in oil-exporting Gulf states; as a net importer with a tight budget, the CAR cannot afford to shield motorists from the full landed cost of fuel.
The Currency Angle: The CFA Franc
The CAR uses the Central African CFA franc (XAF), which is pegged to the euro at a fixed rate. This peg gives the country a degree of price stability against the kind of currency collapse that has battered fuel costs in places with free-floating currencies. However, because fuel is bought on global markets in US dollars, the XAF-to-USD relationship still matters: when the dollar strengthens against the euro, imported fuel becomes more expensive in local terms even if the world oil price has not moved. The fixed euro peg cushions volatility but does not insulate drivers from dollar-priced crude.
No detailed historical low/high series is available for the CAR in this dataset, so it is best to treat the current numbers as a snapshot rather than read a firm trend into them. What the rank does tell us is clear: at position 128 of 170, the country pays a premium driven by geography and import dependence, not by an absence of subsidies alone.
How the CAR Compares
Among other import-dependent and developing economies, the CAR's prices look high but not unique. Coastal West African neighbour Sierra Leone offers a useful regional contrast, while Middle Eastern importer Jordan shows how another tax-and-import-heavy market structures its pump costs. For high-income comparisons, New Zealand and European Montenegro demonstrate how heavy fuel taxation, rather than logistics, drives elevated prices. You can browse the full picture on our world fuel prices overview.
FAQ
How much does gas cost in the Central African Republic?
Gasoline costs about $1.823 per litre, roughly 1,050 XAF per litre, or around $6.90 per US gallon. Diesel is higher at about $2.17 per litre.
Why is fuel so expensive in the Central African Republic?
The country is landlocked and imports all of its finished fuel, mostly trucked over 1,500 km from the Cameroonian coast. Those transport and security costs, combined with import taxes and the absence of large consumer subsidies, push pump prices above the global average of $1.484 per litre.
Is the Central African Republic an oil producer?
No. The CAR is a net fuel importer with no significant domestic crude production or refining capacity, which is a key reason its retail prices rank 128th of 170 countries surveyed.