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.
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.
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.
| DR Congo Population (as of 10/15/2024) | 110,297,614 |
| Last UN Estimate (July 1, 2024) | 109,276,000 |
| Births per Day | 12,232 |
| Deaths per Day | 2,520 |
| Migrations per Day | -74 |
| Net Change per Day | 9,638 |
| Population Change Since Jan. 1 | 2,775,744 |
Net increase of 1 person every 9 seconds
Population estimates based on interpolation of data from World Population Prospects
| One birth every 7 seconds | |
| One death every 34 seconds | |
| One emigrant every 19.47 minutes | |
| Net gain of one person every 9 seconds |
City | 2024 Pop. |
|---|---|
| Kinshasa | 7,785,965 |
| Lubumbashi | 1,373,770 |
| Mbuji-Mayi | 874,761 |
| Kisangani | 539,158 |
| Masina | 485,167 |
| Kananga | 463,546 |
| Likasi | 422,414 |
| Kolwezi | 418,000 |
| Tshikapa | 267,462 |
| Beni | 232,000 |
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).
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.
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 109,276,000 | 3.29% | 48 | 15 | 164 |
| 2023 | 105,790,000 | 3.28% | 47 | 15 | 166 |
| 2020 | 95,990,000 | 3.27% | 42 | 16 | 169 |
| 2019 | 92,947,400 | 3.22% | 41 | 16 | 169 |
| 2018 | 90,047,600 | 3.4% | 40 | 16 | 169 |
| 2017 | 87,083,400 | 3.72% | 38 | 16 | 171 |
| 2015 | 81,035,500 | 3.4% | 36 | 18 | 172 |
| 2010 | 68,563,000 | 3.13% | 30 | 20 | 177 |
| 2005 | 58,775,700 | 3.08% | 26 | 22 | 179 |
| 2000 | 50,507,400 | 2.6% | 22 | 23 | 180 |
| 1995 | 44,433,700 | 3.91% | 20 | 26 | 182 |
| 1990 | 36,684,100 | 3.25% | 16 | 29 | 188 |
| 1985 | 31,264,800 | 3.2% | 14 | 29 | 187 |
| 1980 | 26,711,100 | 3.02% | 12 | 30 | 189 |
| 1975 | 23,021,100 | 2.71% | 10 | 32 | 189 |
| 1970 | 20,137,400 | 2.93% | 9 | 32 | 189 |
| 1965 | 17,427,800 | 2.69% | 8 | 33 | 190 |
| 1960 | 15,264,800 | 2.29% | 7 | 33 | 190 |
| 1955 | 13,630,400 | 2.08% | 6 | 32 | 190 |
Year | Population | Change | Density (/km²) | Population Rank | Density Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 109,276,000 | 3.29% | 48 | 15 | 164 |
| 2025 | 112,832,000 | 3.29% | 50 | 15 | 163 |
| 2030 | 131,532,000 | 3.12% | 58 | 12 | 158 |
| 2035 | 151,560,000 | 2.88% | 67 | 10 | 152 |
| 2040 | 172,596,000 | 2.63% | 76 | 10 | 145 |
| 2045 | 194,865,000 | 2.46% | 86 | 10 | 136 |
| 2050 | 218,246,000 | 2.29% | 96 | 8 | 129 |
| 2055 | 242,361,000 | 2.12% | 107 | 8 | 118 |
| 2060 | 266,679,000 | 1.93% | 118 | 7 | 117 |
| 2065 | 290,803,000 | 1.75% | 128 | 7 | 111 |
| 2070 | 314,382,000 | 1.57% | 139 | 7 | 107 |
| 2075 | 337,149,000 | 1.41% | 149 | 6 | 100 |
| 2080 | 358,921,000 | 1.26% | 158 | 6 | 94 |
| 2085 | 379,484,000 | 1.12% | 167 | 6 | 91 |
| 2090 | 398,481,000 | 0.98% | 176 | 6 | 87 |
| 2095 | 415,598,000 | 0.84% | 183 | 6 | 82 |
16.7
Total
16.5
Male
16.8
Female
There are people over age 18 in DR Congo.
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.
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%.
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.