DR Congo Population 2024 (Live)

104,588,162

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has one of the highest population growth rates in the world of 3.19%. With a current population of about 89.56 million, DR Congo is projected to surpass 100 million in 2024 and double its population by 2047.

DR Congo has one of the highest fertility rates in the world, at approximately 6.11 births per woman. The 2019 birth rate for DR Congo was 40.6 births per 1,000 people.

Like many developing countries, DR Congo also faces many issues that a rapidly increasing population can exacerbate. The country is plagued with conflict, which can destablize its infrastructure and make it difficult for services such as roadways and public services to grow at the same pace as its population. Similarly, the country lacks modern health services, and the high speed of population growth will put added strain on the services that do exist. HIV/AIDs is a major problem as well (again, due in part to the paucity of healthcare). Law enforcement is another service whose development is currently being outpaced by the population growth, and crimes such as rape, human trafficking, and child labor are ongoing concerns.

DR Congo Population Growth

It's very difficult to obtain reliable data on DR Congo's population due to conflict, but despite its civil conflicts, the country seems to be a destination for many immigrants, refugees and asylum-seekers. The number of Congolese nationals abroad is somewhere between 3 and 6 million, most of whom live in Africa.

DR Congo Population Projections

The rate of growth in DR Congo is unusually high at 3.27%. This is expected to slow, but not significantly. The population is expected to hit 90 million by 2020, and 100 million by 2024. By the year 2050, DR Congo is projected to have a population close to 200 million.

Population Rank
Growth Rate
2024 World Percentage
Land Area
2,267,050
The current population of DR Congo is 104,588,162 based on projections of the latest United Nations data. The UN estimates the July 1, 2024 population at 105,625,114.

DR Congo Growth Rate

DR Congo Population 2024 (Live)

DR Congo Population Clock

DR Congo Population (as of 3/11/2024)104,588,162
Next UN Estimate (July 1, 2024)105,625,114
Births per Day11,886
Deaths per Day2,503
Migrations per Day-41
Net Change per Day9,342
Population Change Since Jan. 1663,282

Components of Population Change

One birth every 7 seconds
One death every 35 seconds
One emigrant every 35.12 minutes
Net gain of one person every 9 seconds

DR Congo Population Clock

City
2024 Population
Kinshasa7,785,965
Lubumbashi1,373,770
Mbuji-Mayi874,761
Kisangani539,158
Masina485,167
Kananga463,546
Likasi422,414
Kolwezi418,000
Tshikapa267,462
Beni232,000

DR Congo Area and Population Density

The Democratic Republic of Congo is an almost entirely landlocked nation in sub-Saharan Africa. It is quite a sizable nation at 905,567 square miles (2,345,408 square kilometers). Even though DR Congo has a large population, the surface area gives it a low population density at 22.3 people per square mile (35.9 people per square kilometer).

Largest Cities in DR Congo

The largest city in the Congo is Kinshasa with approximately 7.8 million people, followed by Lubumbashi (1.4 million) and Goma (1 million). There are more than 200 ethnic groups in the DRC, and the Bantu are the majority. The Mongo, Luba and Kongo peoples (Bantu) with the Hamitic Mangbetu-Azande peoples make up about 45% of the population. There are also 600,000 Pygmies, the aboriginal people of the country.

DR Congo Population Density Map

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
2024105,625,1143.28%4715166
2023102,262,8083.26%4515167
202092,853,1643.28%4116169
201989,906,8903.24%4016171
201887,087,3553.33%3816172
201784,283,2733.5%3717172
201578,656,9043.45%3519174
201066,391,2573.26%2920179
200556,550,2473.07%2523182
200048,616,3172.35%2124182
199543,285,7913.76%1926185
199035,987,5413.16%1629188
198530,800,0512.89%1429187
198026,708,6862.99%1230189
197523,052,7152.73%1032188
197020,151,7332.94%932189
196517,438,2542.68%833190
196015,276,5582.3%733190
195513,638,4272.09%632190

DR Congo Population by Year (Historical)

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Year
Population
Growth Rate
Density (/km²)
Population Rank
Density Rank
2024105,625,1143.28%4715166
2025109,075,5603.27%4815164
2030127,582,0533.18%5613159
2035148,025,7073.02%6510155
2040170,013,8152.81%7510147
2045193,253,8182.6%8510143
2050217,494,0032.39%968131
2055242,080,8752.17%1077121
2060266,798,6871.96%1187115
2065291,432,6541.78%1297108
2070315,728,4461.61%1397103
2075339,115,6621.44%150699
2080361,162,3171.27%159692
2085381,778,1021.12%168690
2090400,629,0370.97%177587
2095417,510,8770.83%184584

DR Congo Population by Year (Projections)

DR Congo Population Pyramid 2024

DR Congo Median Age

16.7

Total

16.5

Male

16.8

Female

DR Congo Population by Age

There are people over age 18 in DR Congo.

DR Congo Population Pyramid

DR Congo Demographics

80% of the people in DR Congo are Bantu, but there are more than 250 ethnic groups in the country. Other groups include the Central Sudanic/Ubangian, Milotic and Pygmy peoples.

The official language of the nation is French, but Lingala, Kingwana, Kikongo, and Tshiluba are also common. Both French and English are taught in secondary and high schools.

The median age of DR Congo is 18.8 years with nearly half of the population under 15 years old.

DR Congo Religion, Economy and Politics

80-95% of the population is Christian, making the Congo the most Christian nation in Africa. Indigenous beliefs account for 2-10% of the population, followed by Islam at 1.5-10%.

DR Congo Population History

The Second Congo War that started in 1998 (also called the African world war) was the deadliest conflict on earth since the Chinese Civil War. 90% of soldiers died from malaria and disease and displaced a huge percentage of the population. 47% of the deaths were children under 5, and DR Congo is still trying to recover. DR Congo's population grew from only 39 million in 1992 to 66 million in 2009, despite its ongoing war.

DR Congo Population Rank 2024
Area (km²)
2,344,858
2024 Growth Rate
Capital
GDP (IMF '23)
$67.51
GDP (UN '22)
$62.55 Bn

DR Congo - General Info

Sources