Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo


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. 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

The CIA World Factbook estimated the population to be over 105 million as of 2022, now exceeding that of Vietnam and ascending the country to the rank of 14th most populous in the world. 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.
Total populationPopulation aged 0–14 Population aged 15–64 Population aged 65+
195012 184 00043.752.53.8
195513 580 00043.853.13.1
196015 368 00043.853.32.9
196517 543 00043.953.22.8
197020 267 00044.452.82.8
197523 317 00044.952.32.8
198027 019 00045.451.82.8
198531 044 00046.151.12.8
199036 406 00047.050.22.8
199544 067 00047.949.42.7
200049 626 00048.049.42.7
200557 421 00047.549.92.7
201065 966 00046.351.12.7
2020101 780 26346.451.22.5

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal%
Total50 286 00051 472 000101 758 000100
0–49 956 0009 780 00019 736 00019.40
5–98 046 0007 978 00016 024 00015.75
10–146 638 0006 588 00013 226 00013.00
15–195 280 0005 250 00010 530 00010.35
20–244 224 0004 272 0008 496 0008.35
25–293 621 0003 603 0007 224 0007.10
30–343 017 0003 037 0006 054 0005.95
35–392 565 0002 728 0005 293 0005.20
40–442 011 0002 059 0004 070 0004.00
45–491 307 0001 493 0002 800 0002.75
50–541 056 0001 287 0002 343 0002.30
55–59704 000926 0001 630 0001.60
60–64704 000926 0001 630 0001.60
65–69553 000721 0001 274 0001.25
70–74302 000412 000714 0000.70
75+302 000412 000714 0000.70
Age groupMaleFemaleTotalPercent
0–1424 640 00024 346 00048 986 00048.14
15–6424 489 00025 581 00050 070 00049.20
65+1 157 0001 545 0002 702 0002.66

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group :
Age GroupMaleFemaleTotal
0–417.615.416.5
5–917.516.417.0
10–1416.015.515.7
15–1910.79.910.3
20–247.08.37.7
25–295.16.35.7
30–344.45.24.8
35–394.65.14.9
40–443.83.53.6
45–492.92.82.9
50–542.63.93.3
55–592.02.42.2
60–642.62.02.3
65-691.51.41.4
70-740.80.90.8
75-790.50.50.5
80+0.40.40.4
Age groupMaleFemaleTotal
0–1451.147.349.2
15–6445.749.547.7
65+3.23.23.1

Census

The first and so far only census conducted in DR Congo dates from 1984. 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.
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.
The second general census of population and housing is underway as of 2024. President Félix Tshisekedi called for a census to improve demographic policies and to enable the creation of national identity cards. The National Office for Population Identification, founded in 2011, was tasked with leading the census, settling a dispute between bids by the Ministries of Interior, Planning, and Digital Technology. Preliminary mapping was conducted in 2018 under Minister of State Modeste Bahati Lukwebo. 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. Data collection was arranged by the Ministries of Planning, Budget, and Finance, and the electoral commission sent materials to the ONIP and the. In 2022, Prime Minister Sama Lukonde issued a decree about the operations of the census. The government allocated the census 250 million dollars of its 2022 budget. The census is planned to be completed in 2025 with an expected budget of US$153,700,453.

Vital statistics

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

Population estimates by INS

The Institute of National Statistics of the DRC has provided population estimates from 1984 and 2000-2019:
  • 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

Total Fertility Rate and Crude Birth Rate for urban and rural areas:
The Wanted Fertility Rate is an estimate of what the fertility rate would be if all unwanted births were avoided.
YearCBR TFR CBR TFR CBR TFR
200744.16.3 40.45.4 46.87.0
2013–1444.16.6 40.55.4 45.97.3
2023–2435.75.5 30.44.2 38.66.4

Fertility data per province, as of 2014:
ProvinceTotal fertility ratePercentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnantMean number of children ever born to women age 40–49
Kinshasa4.25.74.8
Bas-Congo6.012.66.5
Bandundu6.312.16.1
Équateur7.014.36.5
Orientale5.911.65.3
Nord-Kivu6.59.76.7
Sud-Kivu7.712.57.4
Maniema6.914.87.0
Katanga7.812.87.3
Kasaï Oriental7.312.47.5
Kasaï Occidental8.214.27.5

Life expectancy

PeriodLife expectancy in
Years
1950–195539.06
1955–1960 40.55
1960–1965 41.63
1965–1970 42.99
1970–1975 44.77
1975–1980 45.63
1980–1985 47.13
1985–1990 48.25
1990–1995 49.59
1995–2000 48.89
2000–2005 51.84
2005–2010 55.48
2010–2015 58.10

Ethnic groups

Over 250 ethnic groups and 450 tribes 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:
Ethnic groups include:
People of European descent (white) and Asian groups make up a significant part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's migrant population. Most Europeans and Asians went to the country for temporary employment.

Languages

The five major languages in the DRC are French, Lingala, Swahili, Kikongo ya leta or Kituba, 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

A survey conducted by the Demographic and Health Surveys program in 2013–2014 indicated that Christians constituted 93.7% of the population. An indigenous religion, Kimbanguism, was practiced by 2.8% of the population, while Muslims make up 1.2%.
Another estimate found Christianity was followed by 95.8% of the population.
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 2.7%.

Congolese diaspora

The table below shows DRC born people who have emigrated abroad in selected Western countries.
RankCountryRegionYearDRC born population
1France