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Africa · Middle Africa

Democratic Republic of the Congo Demographics

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a fast-growing, very young population profile, with high fertility, low median age, rapid urban growth, and a 2026 population value that is a medium-variant projection rather than a census count.

Primary population, growth, fertility, migration, density, urban and projection values use UN DESA World Population Prospects 2024 tabulated by Worldometer. Age-sex detail uses UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook 2020 post-censal estimates. Survey fertility uses the Congo Democratic Republic DHS 2023-24.

Last updated: June 30, 2026

Core Demographic Indicators

Population 116,452,162 2026 mid-year projection · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Population growth 3.21% 2026 annual change · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Median age 15.9 years 2026 · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Fertility rate 5.8 Births per woman, 2026 · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Life expectancy 62.4 years At birth, both sexes, 2026 · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Urban population 45.4% 52,904,879 people, 2026 · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Aged 65+ 3.1% 3,479,627 people, 2025 · PopulationPyramids.org
Net migration -28,843 2026 annual net migrants · UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer

Detailed Demographic Indicators

IndicatorValueYearSource
Total population116,452,1622026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer; medium-variant mid-year projection
Population growth rate3.21%2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Annual population change+3,619,6892026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Median age15.9 years2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Total fertility rate5.8 births per woman2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Life expectancy at birth62.4 years2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Life expectancy at birth, men60.0 years2024PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based life expectancy profile
Life expectancy at birth, women64.2 years2024PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based life expectancy profile
Urban population share45.4%2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Urban population count52,904,8792026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Population aged 0-1451,846,287 people; 45.9%2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based age profile
Population aged 15-6457,506,571 people; 51.0%2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based age profile
Population aged 65+3,479,627 people; 3.1%2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based age profile
Male population55,984,515; 49.6%2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based sex profile
Female population56,847,970; 50.4%2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based sex profile
Sex ratio98.5 males per 100 females2025PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based sex profile
Population density51 people per km²2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Land area used for density2,267,050 km²ReferenceWorldometer land-area reference used with UN WPP population values
Share of world population1.40%2026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Global population rank152026UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Total fertility rate, survey estimate5.5 births per woman2023-24Congo Democratic Republic DHS 2023-24
Table analysis
  • The 2026 population value is a mid-year projection, not a new census count.
  • The 2025 age profile places 45.9% of the population below age 15 and 3.1% at age 65 or older.
  • The 2025 sex profile is close to balance: 98.5 males per 100 females.
  • The DHS 2023-24 survey fertility estimate of 5.5 differs from the WPP 2026 period estimate of 5.8 because the source, year and estimation method differ.

Population Estimates and Trend

Democratic Republic of the Congo Population Trend

Mid-year population estimates from 1950 to 2023

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Source: UN WPP-based tabulations. The 1950 value is from PopulationPyramid.net; 1955-2023 values are from Worldometer tabulation of UN WPP 2024.

Trend analysis
  • The estimated population rose from 12.3 million in 1950 to 105.8 million in 2023.
  • The 2000 to 2023 interval added about 55.3 million people in the UN WPP-based series.
  • The trend chart excludes 2024-2026 projection values; those are shown in the separate projection table.

Detailed Population History Table

YearPopulationYearly % changeYearly changeNet migrationMedian ageFertility rateDensityUrban pop %Urban populationWorld shareWorld populationGlobal rankSource
195012,294,297Data not availableData not availableData not available18.2Data not availableData not availableData not availableData not availableData not availableData not availableData not availablePopulationPyramid.net, UN WPP-based estimate
195513,630,3512.08%267,213-4,87417.25.98620.5%2,791,9040.50%2,740,213,79232UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
196015,264,8462.29%326,89927,67317.36.11722.3%3,400,3600.51%3,015,470,89433UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
196517,427,8022.69%432,59161,39717.56.21823.4%4,070,4720.52%3,334,533,70333UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
197020,137,4362.93%541,92739,11617.36.33924.5%4,924,0230.55%3,694,683,79432UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
197523,021,1012.71%576,733-97216.86.421025.7%5,913,5330.57%4,070,735,27732UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
198026,711,0993.02%738,00051,68516.86.501226.7%7,135,5220.60%4,447,606,23630UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
198531,264,8163.20%910,743118,79116.86.611427.3%8,520,5770.64%4,868,943,46529UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
199036,684,0633.25%1,083,849219,27016.76.651628.9%10,603,3790.69%5,327,803,11029UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
199544,433,7043.91%1,549,928-273,43417.06.682030.7%13,659,1730.77%5,758,878,98226UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
200050,507,4422.60%1,214,74879,34016.16.702232.7%16,534,2340.82%6,171,702,99323UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
200558,775,7243.08%1,653,65620,38415.96.532634.9%20,521,4830.89%6,586,970,13222UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
201068,563,0383.13%1,957,4638,82315.76.593037.7%25,817,9010.98%7,021,732,14820UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
201581,035,5313.40%2,494,499-17,71115.86.443640.2%32,566,5081.08%7,470,491,87218UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
202095,989,9983.45%2,990,893-1,63315.86.214242.6%40,848,4471.22%7,887,001,29216UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2022102,396,9683.28%3,203,485-14,99115.86.114543.6%44,598,6231.28%8,021,407,19215UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2023105,789,7313.31%3,392,763-14,99215.86.054744.0%46,571,1271.31%8,091,734,93015UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Table analysis
  • The historical estimate series passes 50 million in 2000, 81 million in 2015, and 105.8 million in 2023.
  • Urban share rose from 32.7% in 2000 to 44.0% in 2023 in the UN WPP-based tabulation.
  • Density rose from 22 people per km² in 2000 to 47 people per km² in 2023, using the same land-area denominator.
  • Net migration is shown as a demographic balance value; it should not be read as separate immigration and emigration flows.

Age Structure

Broad Age Structure

Population share by broad age group, 2025

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Source: PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based 2025 age profile.

Chart analysis
  • The 2025 age structure is concentrated at young ages: 45.9% is under 15.
  • The working-age share is 51.0%, while the 65+ share is 3.1%.

Age Structure Table

Age groupPopulationShareYearSource
0-1451,846,28745.9%2025PopulationPyramids.org
15-6457,506,57151.0%2025PopulationPyramids.org
65+3,479,6273.1%2025PopulationPyramids.org
Table analysis
  • The under-15 population is about 14.9 times the 65+ population in the 2025 age profile.
  • The broad age table is not a full population pyramid; the detailed age-sex pyramid below uses a different source year.

Age-Sex Population Structure

Democratic Republic of the Congo Population Pyramid

Post-censal population estimates by age group and sex, 1 July 2020

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Source: UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook 2020, post-censal estimates. Male values are stored as negative numbers for left-side chart placement; readouts should be interpreted as positive population counts.

Age-sex analysis
  • The 2020 post-censal age-sex total is 101,758,000, split into 50,286,000 males and 51,472,000 females.
  • Male counts are slightly higher in the three youngest age groups, with sex ratios above 100 males per 100 females for ages 0-14.
  • Female counts are higher in most older groups; the sex ratio falls to about 73.3 males per 100 females at ages 70-74 and 75+.
  • The 2020 age-sex pyramid is not directly interchangeable with the 2025 broad age table because the source year differs.

Age-Sex Population Table

Age groupMaleFemaleTotalMale shareFemale shareSex ratioYearSource
0-49,956,0009,780,00019,736,00050.4%49.6%101.82020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
5-98,046,0007,978,00016,024,00050.2%49.8%100.92020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
10-146,638,0006,588,00013,226,00050.2%49.8%100.82020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
15-195,280,0005,250,00010,530,00050.1%49.9%100.62020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
20-244,224,0004,272,0008,496,00049.7%50.3%98.92020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
25-293,621,0003,603,0007,224,00050.1%49.9%100.52020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
30-343,017,0003,037,0006,054,00049.8%50.2%99.32020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
35-392,565,0002,728,0005,293,00048.5%51.5%94.02020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
40-442,011,0002,059,0004,070,00049.4%50.6%97.72020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
45-491,307,0001,493,0002,800,00046.7%53.3%87.52020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
50-541,056,0001,287,0002,343,00045.1%54.9%82.12020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
55-59704,000926,0001,630,00043.2%56.8%76.02020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
60-64704,000926,0001,630,00043.2%56.8%76.02020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
65-69553,000721,0001,274,00043.4%56.6%76.72020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
70-74302,000412,000714,00042.3%57.7%73.32020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
75+302,000412,000714,00042.3%57.7%73.32020UNSD Demographic Yearbook
Age-sex analysis
  • The largest five-year group in the 2020 table is 0-4, with 19.7 million people.
  • Female shares move above 53% in the 45-49 age group and remain above that level through older groups.
  • The 2020 table records 48,986,000 people aged 0-14, compared with 2,702,000 people aged 65+.
  • Sex ratio is defined here as males per 100 females.

Sex Ratio by Age Group

Males per 100 females, 2020 post-censal age-sex estimates

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Source: Calculated from UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook 2020 male and female age-group counts.

Chart analysis
  • The sex ratio is above parity in the youngest groups and below parity in most older groups.
  • The lowest ratios in the table are 73.3 at ages 70-74 and 75+.

Fertility, Life Expectancy and Urbanization

Fertility Rate Compared With Replacement Benchmark

Births per woman, 2026 WPP value and 2.1 benchmark

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Source: UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer for the 2026 fertility value. The 2.1 benchmark is a broad replacement-level reference, not a country-specific threshold.

Chart analysis
  • The 2026 WPP-based fertility value is 5.8 births per woman.
  • The value is 3.7 births per woman above the broad 2.1 replacement benchmark.

Survey Fertility Table

Survey periodCBR totalTFR totalTFR urbanTFR ruralSource
200744.1 per 1,0006.35.47.0DHS 2007
2013-1444.1 per 1,0006.65.47.3DHS 2013-14
2023-2435.7 per 1,0005.54.26.4Congo Democratic Republic DHS 2023-24
Table analysis
  • The survey TFR decreased from 6.6 in 2013-14 to 5.5 in 2023-24.
  • The 2023-24 rural TFR is 6.4, compared with 4.2 in urban areas.
  • DHS survey estimates and UN WPP period estimates use different measurement systems; they should not be merged into one trend line.

Life Expectancy by Sex

Life expectancy at birth, 2024

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Source: PopulationPyramids.org, UN WPP-based life expectancy profile for 2024.

Chart analysis
  • The 2024 life expectancy profile lists 62.1 years for both sexes combined.
  • Female life expectancy is 4.2 years higher than male life expectancy in the 2024 profile.

Urban Population Share

Urban population as a share of total population, selected years

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Source: UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer. Urban classification follows the source urban definition used in the UN/WPP-based series.

Trend analysis
  • The urban share rises from 32.7% in 2000 to 45.4% in 2026 in the WPP-based tabulation.
  • The urban count is projected at 52.9 million in 2026.

Migration and Projection Scenario

Net Migration Balance

Annual net migrants in selected years

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Source: UN WPP 2024 via Worldometer. Values are net migration balance values, not separate immigration and emigration counts.

Chart analysis
  • The series includes both positive and negative net migration balances.
  • The 2026 value is -28,843, while 2000 is listed as +79,340.
  • Net migration is a balance measure and does not show total inflows or total outflows.

Population Projection

Medium-variant projected population, 2024 to 2050

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Source: UN WPP 2024 medium-fertility variant via Worldometer. Population projections are scenario-based estimates, not guaranteed predictions.

Projection analysis
  • The medium-variant projection rises from 109.3 million in 2024 to 218.2 million in 2050.
  • The 2050 projection is about 1.88 times the 2026 projected population.
  • The projection table below keeps scenario values separate from the historical estimate table.

Forecast Population Table

YearProjected populationYearly % changeYearly changeNet migration assumptionMedian ageFertility rateDensityUrban pop %Urban populationScenarioSource
2024109,276,2653.30%3,486,534-26,96815.85.984844.5%48,611,843Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2025112,832,4733.25%3,556,208-27,30915.85.95045.0%50,722,858Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2026116,452,1623.21%3,619,689-28,84315.95.85145.4%52,904,879Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2030131,532,2013.11%3,739,946-34,95816.25.425847.4%62,343,480Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2035151,560,1032.88%4,005,580-31,14016.94.876750.0%75,772,610Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2040172,595,5822.63%4,207,096-42,92517.84.387652.7%90,960,949Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2045194,865,3792.46%4,453,959-39,18118.93.998655.3%107,740,801Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
2050218,246,0722.29%4,676,139-46,13120.03.669657.7%125,931,197Medium-fertility variantUN WPP 2024 via Worldometer
Projection analysis
  • The 2050 projection places the population above 218 million under the medium-fertility variant.
  • Projected fertility falls from 5.98 in 2024 to 3.66 in 2050 in this table.
  • Projected urban share rises from 44.5% in 2024 to 57.7% in 2050.
  • The net migration assumption remains negative in every listed projection year.

Largest Urban Areas

The city table uses Worldometer urban-area estimates for 2025. These are not a national census list and may use urban agglomeration boundaries rather than municipal administrative boundaries.

RankUrban areaPopulation estimateYearSource
1Kinshasa10,943,6412025Worldometer urban-area estimate
2Kasaï-Oriental3,605,7382025Worldometer urban-area estimate
3Lubumbashi2,832,8532025Worldometer urban-area estimate
4Beni1,923,7002025Worldometer urban-area estimate
5Kananga1,504,3702025Worldometer urban-area estimate
6Tshikapa1,054,6862025Worldometer urban-area estimate
7Bukavu948,9482025Worldometer urban-area estimate
8Kisangani900,3302025Worldometer urban-area estimate
9Goma809,6012025Worldometer urban-area estimate
10Kalemie758,3792025Worldometer urban-area estimate
Table analysis
  • Kinshasa is the largest listed urban area, with a 2025 estimate of 10.9 million.
  • The top three listed urban areas together total about 17.4 million people.
  • Urban-area estimates can differ from municipal counts because boundary definitions are not always the same.

Country Comparison

The comparison uses countries sharing borders or regional demographic context with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Values use PopulationPyramids.org 2025 profiles so the source year and definition are aligned.

Population Compared With Nearby Large Populations

Population count, 2025

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Source: PopulationPyramids.org, 2025. All countries in this chart use the same source year.

Comparison analysis
  • The 2025 comparison places the Democratic Republic of the Congo above the four other listed countries by population size.
  • Tanzania is the second-largest listed country in this table, with 70.5 million people.
CountryPopulationMedian ageYouth shareAged 65+Source note
Democratic Republic of the Congo112,832,48516.945.9%3.1%PopulationPyramids.org, 2025
Angola39,040,04817.844.1%2.9%PopulationPyramids.org, 2025
Zambia21,913,88419.041.0%2.0%PopulationPyramids.org, 2025
Tanzania70,545,87818.542.3%3.0%PopulationPyramids.org, 2025
Uganda51,384,90418.043.1%2.2%PopulationPyramids.org, 2025
Comparison analysis
  • All five countries in the comparison have median ages below 20 years in the 2025 profiles.
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo has the lowest listed median age at 16.9 years.
  • The youth share is highest for the Democratic Republic of the Congo at 45.9%.
  • The table does not mix national statistical office values with UN-based profiles.

Demographic Overview

Population direction

The 2026 medium-variant projection is 116.5 million, up from the 2023 estimate of 105.8 million.

Age structure

The 2025 age profile is youth-heavy, with 45.9% under age 15 and only 3.1% aged 65 or older.

Age-sex balance

The 2020 age-sex table shows male counts slightly higher in childhood and female counts higher across many older groups.

Fertility pattern

The 2023-24 DHS reports a total fertility rate of 5.5, with a rural value of 6.4 and an urban value of 4.2.

Urban profile

The urban share is projected at 45.4% in 2026, equal to about 52.9 million urban residents.

Projection caution

The 2024-2050 values are medium-variant projections and should be read separately from the 1950-2023 estimate series.

Data Sources and Methodology

Values are shown with the source year, measurement type and coverage whenever the dataset permits. Missing fields are not estimated. Rounded values are displayed for readability, while sortable fields use numeric values where available.

Data Sources Used

SourceYear or releaseUsed for
UN DESA World Population Prospects 20242024 revisionUnderlying population estimates, projections, fertility, migration, urban, density and age values where tabulated by Worldometer or PopulationPyramid sources
WorldometerUN WPP 2024 tabulation, accessed for 1955-2050 rowsPopulation history, projected population, yearly change, net migration, median age, fertility, density, urban population, world share, global rank and city estimates
PopulationPyramids.org2024-2025 profiles2025 broad age shares, male/female totals, sex ratio, comparison table and 2024 life expectancy by sex
PopulationPyramid.net1950 and 2025 country profile1950 population value in the historical trend and 2025 total population cross-check
UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook2020 post-censal estimatesDetailed age-sex population table, population pyramid and sex-ratio-by-age chart
Congo Democratic Republic DHS2007, 2013-14 and 2023-24 surveysSurvey fertility table, including total, urban and rural total fertility rate values
Method note
  • UN WPP 2024 estimates cover historical years, while 2024 onward values in this page are treated as medium-variant projection values.
  • The age-sex pyramid uses 2020 because that is the available detailed post-censal age-sex table used here.
  • DHS fertility values are survey estimates and are kept separate from UN WPP period fertility values.
  • Worldometer is used as a tabulation layer for UN WPP values; the underlying population source is UN DESA WPP 2024.

Indicator Definitions

IndicatorDefinitionUnitSource note
PopulationTotal population of all ages and both sexes as of mid-year in the UN WPP-based series.PeopleHistorical estimates and projection values are separated by section.
Yearly changeNumerical population change associated with the listed period or year in the tabulated source.PeopleFor earlier rows, values can represent average annual change over the preceding period.
Net migrationImmigrants minus emigrants in the source series.PeopleIt is a balance measure, not a count of total moves.
Total fertility rateExpected births per woman under the source age-specific fertility pattern.Births per womanWPP and DHS values differ by method and year.
Urban population sharePopulation living in areas classified as urban by the source definition.PercentUrban definitions can vary across countries and datasets.
Sex ratioMale population divided by female population, multiplied by 100.Males per 100 femalesCalculated from the same age-sex table when shown by age group.
Method note
  • Definitions are aligned with the visible tables and chart notes on this page.
  • Urban, migration and projection values require source-specific reading because definitions and assumptions can vary.

Methodological Safety Note

Methodological Safety Note: The Democratic Republic of the Congo has limited recent census coverage, so some demographic values are modelled estimates or projection values rather than direct census counts. Resident population, mid-year estimates, survey fertility, post-censal age-sex counts and medium-variant projections are not identical measures. Source years differ across modules: the detailed age-sex table uses 2020, broad age shares use 2025, life expectancy by sex uses 2024, and core 2026 values are projection-based. Urban share depends on source definitions. Net migration is a balance, not total immigration or emigration. Rounded values may not sum exactly. Missing values are shown as “Data not available” rather than estimated.

Data Notes

Why are 2026 population values described as projections?

UN WPP 2024 treats years after the latest estimate period as projection years. The 2026 population value on this page is therefore shown as a medium-variant mid-year projection.

Is the population pyramid based on 2025 data?

No. The detailed population pyramid uses 2020 post-censal age-sex estimates from the UN Statistics Division Demographic Yearbook because that is the detailed age-sex source used here.

Why do fertility values differ between WPP and DHS?

WPP fertility values are modelled period estimates, while DHS values are survey estimates for specific survey periods and residence groups. They are shown in separate modules.

Does net migration show immigration and emigration separately?

No. Net migration is the balance of immigration minus emigration. Separate immigration and emigration counts are not available in the current visible dataset.