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Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

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Demographics of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Population pyramid of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2020
Population95,894,118 (2021 est.)
Growth rate3.24% (2022 est.)
Birth rate40.08 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate7.94 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy61.83 years
 • male60.03 years
 • female63.69 years
Fertility rate6.16 children born/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate60.85 deaths/1,000 live births
Net migration rate-0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years46.38%
65 and over2.47%
Sex ratio
Total1 male(s)/female (2022 est.)
At birth1.03 male(s)/female
Under 151.01 male(s)/female
65 and over0.6 male(s)/female
Nationality
NationalityCongolese
Language
OfficialFrench
Democratic Republic of the Congos population between 1960 and 2017.

Demographic features of the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo include ethnicity, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

As many as 250 ethnic groups have been distinguished and named.[1] The most numerous people are the Luba, Mongo, and Kongo.

Although 700 local languages and dialects are spoken, the linguistic variety is bridged both by the use of French, and the intermediary languages Kikongo ya leta, Tshiluba, Swahili, and Lingala.

Population

[edit]
Historical population of the DR Congo

The CIA World Factbook estimated the population to be over 105 million as of 2022 (the exact number being 108,407,721), now exceeding that of Vietnam (with 98,721,275 inhabitants as of 2020) and ascending the country to the rank of 14th most populous in the world.[2] The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2020 was 46.38%, 51.15% of the population was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 2.47% was 65 years or older.[2][3]

Total population[2] Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 12 184 000 43.7 52.5 3.8
1955 13 580 000 43.8 53.1 3.1
1960 15 368 000 43.8 53.3 2.9
1965 17 543 000 43.9 53.2 2.8
1970 20 267 000 44.4 52.8 2.8
1975 23 317 000 44.9 52.3 2.8
1980 27 019 000 45.4 51.8 2.8
1985 31 044 000 46.1 51.1 2.8
1990 36 406 000 47.0 50.2 2.8
1995 44 067 000 47.9 49.4 2.7
2000 49 626 000 48.0 49.4 2.7
2005 57 421 000 47.5 49.9 2.7
2010 65 966 000 46.3 51.1 2.7
2020 101 780 263 46.4 51.2 2.5

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020) (Post-censal estimates.) (Provisional.):[4]

Age Group Male Female Total %
Total 50 286 000 51 472 000 101 758 000 100
0–4 9 956 000 9 780 000 19 736 000 19.40
5–9 8 046 000 7 978 000 16 024 000 15.75
10–14 6 638 000 6 588 000 13 226 000 13.00
15–19 5 280 000 5 250 000 10 530 000 10.35
20–24 4 224 000 4 272 000 8 496 000 8.35
25–29 3 621 000 3 603 000 7 224 000 7.10
30–34 3 017 000 3 037 000 6 054 000 5.95
35–39 2 565 000 2 728 000 5 293 000 5.20
40–44 2 011 000 2 059 000 4 070 000 4.00
45–49 1 307 000 1 493 000 2 800 000 2.75
50–54 1 056 000 1 287 000 2 343 000 2.30
55–59 704 000 926 000 1 630 000 1.60
60–64 704 000 926 000 1 630 000 1.60
65–69 553 000 721 000 1 274 000 1.25
70–74 302 000 412 000 714 000 0.70
75+ 302 000 412 000 714 000 0.70
Age group Male Female Total Percent
0–14 24 640 000 24 346 000 48 986 000 48.14
15–64 24 489 000 25 581 000 50 070 000 49.20
65+ 1 157 000 1 545 000 2 702 000 2.66

Census

[edit]

The first and so far only census conducted in DR Congo dates from 1984.[5] A census is supposed to be conducted decennially, but this has been obstructed by periods of instability such as the political reorganization in 1991 and the civil war in 1996.[6]

In January 2015, the parliament passed a law requiring that a census be completed before the next election. Opponents said this was intended to keep Joseph Kabila in power by delaying the next election, leading to protests that caused several deaths. The parliament repealed the law and the census did not take place.[7]

The second general census of population and housing is underway as of 2024.[8] President Félix Tshisekedi called for a census to improve demographic policies and to enable the creation of national identity cards.[9][6] The National Office for Population Identification (ONIP), founded in 2011, was tasked with leading the census, settling a dispute between bids by the Ministries of Interior, Planning, and Digital Technology.[6] Preliminary mapping was conducted in 2018 under Minister of State Modeste Bahati Lukwebo.[10] Data collection began on 2 March 2020 and was scheduled to end on 10 June, but implementation was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[11] Data collection was arranged by the Ministries of Planning, Budget, and Finance, and the electoral commission sent materials to the ONIP and the National Statistics Institute [fr].[9] In 2022, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde issued a decree about the operations of the census.[6] The government allocated the census 250 million dollars of its 2022 budget.[12] The census is planned to be completed in 2025 with an expected budget of US$153,700,453.[8]

Vital statistics

[edit]

Registration of vital events in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [13]

Period Population Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR* Life expectancy
1950 12,174   566,000   326,000   239,000 46.0 26.6 19.5 5.97 179.9 38.31
1951 12,415   579,000   328,000   251,000 46.1 26.2 20.0 5.97 178.5 38.44
1952 12,671   592,000   327,000   264,000 46.2 25.6 20.6 5.97 175.8 38.85
1953 12,937   607,000   329,000   278,000 46.4 25.1 21.2 5.98 173.3 39.14
1954 13,202   619,000   330,000   289,000 46.3 24.7 21.6 5.98 171.0 39.47
1955 13,484   632,000   333,000   299,000 46.3 24.4 21.9 5.98 168.8 39.72
1956 13,777   646,000   336,000   311,000 46.4 24.1 22.3 5.99 166.7 39.98
1957 14,084   663,000   338,000   325,000 46.5 23.7 22.8 6.01 164.7 40.32
1958 14,402   681,000   343,000   338,000 46.7 23.5 23.2 6.04 162.9 40.50
1959 14,714   698,000   348,000   349,000 46.8 23.4 23.4 6.07 161.2 40.64
1960 15,069   716,000   354,000   362,000 46.9 23.2 23.7 6.08 159.8 40.86
1961 15,460   738,000   370,000   368,000 47.1 23.6 23.5 6.11 159.6 40.24
1962 15,864   761,000   378,000   383,000 47.4 23.5 23.8 6.13 158.1 40.34
1963 16,287   785,000   385,000   400,000 47.5 23.3 24.2 6.16 156.5 40.60
1964 16,728   808,000   403,000   406,000 47.7 23.8 24.0 6.18 155.7 40.05
1965 17,183   833,000   404,000   429,000 47.9 23.2 24.7 6.21 153.1 40.70
1966 17,673   859,000   397,000   462,000 47.9 22.1 25.8 6.24 149.5 42.05
1967 18,191   885,000   405,000   480,000 48.0 21.9 26.0 6.27 147.3 42.31
1968 18,735   910,000   411,000   500,000 47.9 21.6 26.3 6.30 145.1 42.71
1969 19,290   935,000   418,000   517,000 47.8 21.4 26.4 6.32 142.7 42.98
1970 19,851   959,000   425,000   534,000 47.6 21.1 26.5 6.34 140.5 43.28
1971 20,424   985,000   431,000   554,000 47.5 20.8 26.8 6.38 138.3 43.66
1972 20,967   1,006,000   437,000   569,000 47.3 20.5 26.8 6.40 136.4 43.93
1973 21,535   1,026,000   445,000   582,000 47.0 20.4 26.6 6.41 134.7 44.10
1974 22,121   1,047,000   451,000   597,000 46.7 20.1 26.6 6.42 133.3 44.41
1975 22,717   1,070,000   460,000   610,000 46.4 20.0 26.4 6.42 132.1 44.47
1976 23,325   1,091,000   468,000   623,000 46.1 19.8 26.3 6.43 130.9 44.66
1977 23,923   1,111,000   476,000   634,000 45.8 19.6 26.1 6.43 129.8 44.76
1978 24,535   1,134,000   491,000   643,000 45.6 19.7 25.8 6.44 129.1 44.54
1979 25,450   1,184,000   496,000   688,000 45.9 19.2 26.7 6.46 126.9 45.21
1980 26,323   1,227,000   507,000   720,000 46.0 19.0 27.0 6.47 125.1 45.47
1981 27,099   1,260,000   517,000   744,000 45.9 18.8 27.1 6.49 123.5 45.72
1982 27,902   1,293,000   526,000   766,000 45.8 18.6 27.2 6.50 121.9 45.92
1983 28,774   1,333,000   535,000   798,000 45.9 18.5 27.5 6.55 120.3 46.18
1984 29,728   1,377,000   545,000   832,000 46.2 18.3 27.9 6.60 118.7 46.45
1985 30,763   1,433,000   559,000   873,000 46.5 18.2 28.4 6.65 117.4 46.62
1986 31,767   1,480,000   571,000   910,000 46.7 18.0 28.7 6.69 116.1 46.91
1987 32,763   1,529,000   579,000   950,000 46.8 17.7 29.1 6.74 114.9 47.34
1988  33,834 1,568,000   588,000   980,000 46.5 17.4 29.1 6.73 113.7 47.77
1989 34,931   1,610,000   596,000   1,014,000 46.3 17.1 29.1 6.74 112.6 48.17
1990 36,043   1,652,000   604,000   1,047,000 46.0 16.8 29.2 6.70 111.3 48.60
1991 37,325   1,713,000   617,000   1,097,000 46.1 16.6 29.5 6.69 110.1 48.95
1992 38,526   1,761,000   629,000   1,132,000 45.9 16.4 29.5 6.67 108.9 49.24
1993 39,932   1,804,000   638,000   1,165,000 45.7 16.2 29.5 6.64 108.1 49.55
1994 41,381   1,878,000   653,000   1,225,000 45.9 16.0 29.9 6.67 107.0 49.88
1995 43,873   2,046,000   682,000   1,364,000 47.1 15.7 31.4 6.71 105.7 50.41
1996 44,995   2,083,000   730,000   1,353,000 46.8 16.4 30.4 6.72 106.4 49.31
1997 45,598   2,067,000   707,000   1,360,000 45.8 15.7 30.2 6.73 103.7 50.40
1998 46,462   2,071,000   729,000   1,342,000 45.1 15.9 29.2 6.73 101.5 49.70
1999 48,133   2,128,000   739,000   1,389,000 45.0 15.6 29.4 6.72 99.5 49.95
2000 49,693   2,189,000   712,000   1,477,000 45.0 14.6 30.4 6.72 97.3 51.78
2001 51,322   2,245,000   721,000   1,525,000 44.8 14.4 30.4 6.70 95.0 52.12
2002 52,943   2,310,000   733,000   1,577,000 44.7 14.2 30.5 6.67 92.6 52.33
2003 54,558   2,372,000   738,000   1,634,000 44.5 13.9 30.7 6.64 89.9 52.83
2004 56,130   2,426,000   738,000   1,688,000 44.3 13.5 30.8 6.62 87.2 53.43
2005 57,865   2,499,000   743,000   1,757,000 44.2 13.1 31.1 6.60 84.6 53.93
2006 59,686   2,592,000   746,000   1,846,000 44.4 12.8 31.6 6.59 82.0 54.53
2007 61,546   2,675,000   756,000   1,920,000 44.4 12.5 31.8 6.58 79.4 54.92
2008 63,410   2,767,000   764,000   2,003,000 44.4 12.3 32.2 6.58 77.0 55.34
2009 65,372   2,867,000   771,000   2,096,000 44.6 12.0 32.6 6.59 74.5 55.84
2010 67,453   2,957,000   774,000   2,183,000 44.5 11.7 32.9 6.59 72.2 56.42
2011 69,674   3,069,000   776,000   2,293,000 44.7 11.3 33.4 6.58 70.0 57.07
2012 72,025   3,171,000   793,000   2,378,000 44.6 11.2 33.5 6.56 68.0 57.25
2013 74,484   3,247,000   797,000   2,450,000 44.2 10.9 33.4 6.53 65.9 57.76
2014 77,095   3,345,000   802,000   2,543,000 44.0 10.6 33.4 6.48 64.0 58.30
2015 79,712   3,433,000   818,000   2,615,000 43.6 10.4 33.2 6.44 62.2 58.49
2016 82,359   3,532,000   820,000   2,712,000 43.4 10.1 33.3 6.39 60.4 59.07
2017 85,554   3,647,000   832,000   2,815,000 43.3 9.9 33.4 6.35 58.6 59.41
2018 88,613   3,748,000   835,000   2,913,000 43.0 9.6 33.4 6.30 56.9 59.94
2019 91,482   3,839,000   844,000   2,995,000 42.7 9.4 33.3 6.25 55.5 60.28
2020 94,413   3,930,000   886,000   3,044,000 42.3 9.5 32.8 6.21 53.9 59.74
2021 97,567   4,158,000   930,000   3,163,000 41.9 9.4 31.9 6.16 52.0 60.0
2022 100,731   4,262,000   914,000   3,333,000 41.6 8.9 32.6 6.11 50.5 61.0
2023 104,063 4,370,000   902,000 3,453,000 41.3 8.5 32.6 6.05 49.3 61.9
*CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000 people); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000 people); NC = natural change (per 1000 people), also equals CBR minus CDR; IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Population estimates by INS

[edit]

The Institute of National Statistics of the DRC has provided population estimates from 1984 and 2000-2019:[14][15]

  • 1984: 30,631,000
  • 2000: 52,099,000
  • 2001: 53,870,000
  • 2002: 55,702,000
  • 2003: 57,596,000
  • 2004: 59,554,000
  • 2005: 61,579,000
  • 2006: 63,673,000
  • 2007: 65,837,000
  • 2008: 68,076,000
  • 2009: 70,391,000
  • 2010: 72,784,000
  • 2011: 75,259,000
  • 2012: 77,817,000
  • 2013: 80,462,000
  • 2014: 83,197,000
  • 2015: 86,024,000
  • 2016: 88,957,000
  • 2017: 91,994,000
  • 2018: 94,921,000
  • 2019: 98,370,000

Demographic and Health Surveys

[edit]

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR) for urban and rural areas:[16]

The Wanted Fertility Rate is an estimate of what the fertility rate would be if all unwanted births were avoided.[17]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2007 44.1 6.3 (5.6) 40.4 5.4 (4.8) 46.8 7.0 (6.2)
2013–14 44.1 6.6 (5.7) 40.5 5.4 (4.6) 45.9 7.3 (6.5)
2023–24 35.7 5.5 30.4 4.2 38.6 6.4

Fertility data per province, as of 2014:[18]

Province Total fertility rate Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant Mean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Kinshasa 4.2 5.7 4.8
Bas-Congo 6.0 12.6 6.5
Bandundu 6.3 12.1 6.1
Équateur 7.0 14.3 6.5
Orientale 5.9 11.6 5.3
Nord-Kivu 6.5 9.7 6.7
Sud-Kivu 7.7 12.5 7.4
Maniema 6.9 14.8 7.0
Katanga 7.8 12.8 7.3
Kasaï Oriental 7.3 12.4 7.5
Kasaï Occidental 8.2 14.2 7.5

Life expectancy

[edit]
Life expectancy in DR Congo since 1950
Life expectancy in DR Congo since 1960 by gender
Period Life expectancy in
Years[19]
1950–1955 39.06
1955–1960 Increase 40.55
1960–1965 Increase 41.63
1965–1970 Increase 42.99
1970–1975 Increase 44.77
1975–1980 Increase 45.63
1980–1985 Increase 47.13
1985–1990 Increase 48.25
1990–1995 Increase 49.59
1995–2000 Decrease 48.89
2000–2005 Increase 51.84
2005–2010 Increase 55.48
2010–2015 Increase 58.10

Ethnic groups

[edit]
See also: Category:Ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Over 250 ethnic groups and 450 tribes (ethnic subgroups) populate the Democratic Republic of Congo. These ethnic groups are from the Bantu, Sudanic, Nilotic, Ubangian and Pygmy linguistic groups. There is no dominant ethnic group in Congo; the following ethnic groups account for 51.5% of the population:[20][failed verification]

Breakdown of the largest ethnic groups in DRC

Ethnic groups include:

Languages

[edit]
French
 
 79%
Lingala
 
 59%
Swahili
 
 40%
Kikongo
 
 17%
Tshiluba
 
 17%
English
 
 7%
Percentage of the DRC population who speak each of the five national languages, plus English.[21]
Main article: Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The five major languages in the DRC are French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca, or trade language), Swahili (more specifically Congo Swahili such as the Kingwana dialect), Kikongo ya leta or Kituba (a Kikongo-based creole language), and Tshiluba or Luba-Kasai. In total, there are over 200 languages spoken in the DRC.

French, the official language, is generally the language of instruction in schools. However, English is taught as a compulsory foreign language in secondary schools around the country. It is a required subject in the Faculty of Economics at major universities around the country, and there are numerous language schools in the country that teach it. Many Congolese, such as former president Joseph Kabila, are fluent in both English and French.

Religions

[edit]
Christian church in Kisangani

A survey conducted by the Demographic and Health Surveys program in 2013–2014 indicated that Christians constituted 93.7% of the population (Catholics 29.7%, Protestants 26.8%, and other Christians 37.2%). An indigenous religion, Kimbanguism, was practiced by 2.8% of the population, while Muslims make up 1.2%.[22]

Another estimate (by the Pew Research Center in 2010) found Christianity was followed by 95.8% of the population.[23]

The CIA The World Factbook gives the following percentages: Roman Catholic 29.9%, Protestant 26.7%, Kimbanguist 2.8%, Other Christian 36.5%, Islam 1.3%, Other (includes Syncretic Sects and Indigenous beliefs) 2.7%.[24]


Population, fertility rate and net reproduction rate, United Nations estimates

Congolese diaspora

[edit]

The table below shows DRC born people who have emigrated abroad in selected Western countries (although it excludes their descendants).[25]

Rank Country Region Year DRC born population
1  France Europe 2010 59,641
2  Belgium Europe 2015 44,715
3  Canada North America 2021 39,475[26]
4  United States North America 2011–13 20,410
5  Great Britain Europe 2011 19,193
6  Germany Europe 2011 (foreign citizens) 9,299
7   Switzerland Europe 2011 6,724
8  Italy Europe 2015 6,010
9  Netherlands Europe 2015 4,973
10  Sweden Europe 2015 3,092
11  Brazil South America 2024 2,579
12  Australia Oceania 2011 2,576
13  Norway Europe 2015 2,210
14  Spain Europe 2013 1,494
15  Finland Europe 2015 1,523
16  Denmark Europe 2015 1,264
17  Austria Europe 2015 1,258

These are only estimates and do not account for Congolese migrants residing illegally in these and other countries. Among African countries, Congo's diaspora is second only to Nigeria in size.[citation needed]

See also

[edit]

Congolese ethnic groups:

Other articles

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Congo (Kinshasa) (01/08)". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 2022-12-16.
  2. ^ a b c "Congo, Democratic Republic of the". 18 April 2022.
  3. ^ Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics".
  5. ^ "Recensement scientifique de la population 1984. Résultats provisoires" (PDF).
  6. ^ a b c d Mbardounka, Chérif Ousman (14 May 2024). "Le pays africain dont les citoyens n'ont pas de carte d'identité depuis 40 ans". BBC News (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  7. ^ Ross, Aaron (25 January 2015). "Congo parliament passes election law stripped of census requirement". Reuters. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Recensement général de la population et de l'Habitat". Ministère du Plan (in French). 9 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b Muamba, Clément (23 March 2024). "RDC : Félix Tshisekedi rappelle au gouvernement la nécessité d'organiser le deuxième recensement général pour " intervenir plus efficacement " en faveur des populations". Actualite.cd (in French). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  10. ^ "2nd General Census of Population and Housing in DRC: Evaluation of pilot cartography". United Nations Population Fund. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  11. ^ "Responses to the 1st UNSD survey on the impact of COVID-19". United Nations Statistics Division. 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  12. ^ "RDC's government confirms general census is going ahead". Africanews. 1 October 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
  13. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022 – Demographic Indicators – Compact (most used: estimates and medium projections) (XLSX, 24.07 MB)" (xlsx). United Nations Population Division. tab "Estimates". Retrieved 2022-07-13. (found under: World Population Prospects 2022 – Download Files)
  14. ^ "République Démocratique du Congo Anuaire Statistique 2014" (PDF). undp.org.
  15. ^ "République Démocratique du Congo Anuaire Statistique 2020" (PDF). undp.org.
  16. ^ "Congo, Dem. Rep. - Enquête Démographique et de Santé 2007". microdata.worldbank.org.
  17. ^ "Fertility and wanted fertility". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2021-06-21.
  18. ^ "Democratic Republic of Congo" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-03-17.
  19. ^ "World Population Prospects - Population Division - United Nations". esa.un.org. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  20. ^ "Democratic Republic of Congo in Crisis | Human Rights Watch". Archived from the original on 13 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  21. ^ Target study: French the most spoken language in DRC, far ahead of Lingala
  22. ^ "Enquête Démographique et de Santé (EDS-RDC) 2013-2014" (PDF) (in French). Ministère du Plan et Suivi de la Mise en œuvre de la Révolution de la Modernité, Ministère de la Santé Publique. p. 36. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-03-17. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Global Religious Landscape". Pew Forum. 18 December 2012.
  24. ^ "Africa :: CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE". CIA The World Factbook. 18 April 2022.
  25. ^ Schoumaker, Marie-Laurence; Flahaux, Bruno (2016-04-19). "Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Migration History Marked by Crises and Restrictions". Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
  26. ^ "Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth and citizenship: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". Statistics Canada. Statistics Canada Statistique Canada. 7 May 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2023.

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2025 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2007 edition.)

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