Demographics of Democratic Republic of the Congo
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This article is about the
demographic Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings. Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as edu ...
features of the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including
ethnicity An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
, education level, health, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. As many as 250
ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
s have been distinguished and named. The most numerous people are the Luba,
Mongo Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributar ...
, and
Bakongo The Kongo people ( kg, Bisi Kongo, , singular: ; also , singular: ) are a Bantu ethnic group primarily defined as the speakers of Kikongo. Subgroups include the Beembe, Bwende, Vili, Sundi, Yombe, Dondo, Lari, and others. They have lived ...
. Although 700 local languages and dialects are spoken, the linguistic variety is bridged both by the use of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and the intermediary languages Kikongo ya leta, Tshiluba,
Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...
, and
Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...
.


Population

The
CIA World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...
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. The proportion of children below the age of 14 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.Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision
Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):


Census

The first and so far only census conducted in DR Congo dates from 1984.


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. (found under
World Population Prospects 2022

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Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR) 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. Fertility data per province, as of 2014:


Life expectancy


Ethnic groups

More than 250 ethnic groups have been identified and named, of which the majority are
Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...
. The four largest groups -
Mongo Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributar ...
, Luba,
Kongo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
(all
Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...
), and the Mangbetu- Azande collectively make up about 45% of the population. 5,000 people from Belgium and 5,000 people from Greece currently live in
DR Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
. Bantu peoples (80%): : Luba (18%),
Mongo Mongo may refer to: Geography Africa * Mongo, Chad, a Sahel city * Apostolic Vicariate of Mongo (Roman Catholic missionary jurisdiction) * Mongo, Sierra Leone, a chiefdom * Mongo River (Little Scarces River), Guinea and Sierra Leone, a tributar ...
(17%),
Kongo Congo or The Congo may refer to either of two countries that border the Congo River in central Africa: * Democratic Republic of the Congo, the larger country to the southeast, capital Kinshasa, formerly known as Zaire, sometimes referred to a ...
(12%) :Others: Ambala, Ambuun, Angba, Babindi, Baboma, Baholo, Bangala, Bango, Bapindi, Batsamba, Bazombe,
Bemba Bemba may refer to: * Bemba language (Chibemba), a Bantu language spoken in Zambia * Bemba people (AbaBemba), an ethnic group of central Africa * Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo * A Caribbean drum, ...
, Bembe, Bira, Bowa, Dikidiki, Dzing, Fuliru,
Havu Havu (or Haavu or Kihavu) is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is spoken mainly in the Idjwi and Kalehe territories of Sud-Kivu Province, in the east of the DRC. It is closely related to the Shi language. The Havu la ...
,
Hema Hema may refer to: * Hemā (mythology), a figure from Polynesian mythology * HEMA (store), a Dutch chain of stores * Hema (supermarket) (盒马), a supermarket chain in China * Hema maps, an Australian map publisher * Hema people, an ethnic group ...
, Hima,
Hunde Hunde (''Kihunde''; also ''Luhunde'', ''Kobi'', ''Rukobi'') is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by the Hunde people or Bahunde in Nord-Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is primarily spoken in the territories of Masisi ...
, Iboko, Kanioka, Kaonde, Kuba, Kumu, Kwango, Lengola,
Lokele The Kele people (or Lokele) are a Bantu ethnic group of about 160,000 people, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They mainly live on the south bank of the Congo River between Kisangani and Isangi. The New Testament The New Testament g ...
, Lunda, Lupu, Lwalwa, Mbala, Mbole, Mbuza (Budja),
Nande Nande is a village in Mulshi taluka of Pune District in the state of Maharashtra, India.Talukas surrounding the village are Karjat taluka, Talegaon Dabhade Taluka, Mawal taluka and by Khalapur taluka. Districts closest to the village are Raigad ...
, Ngoli, Bangoli, Ngombe, Nkumu,
Nyanga Nyanga may mean: *Nyanga Province, of Gabon * Nyanga River, in Gabon and Congo *Nyanga people, an ethnic group from Congo *Nyanga, Zimbabwe, a town *Nyanga District, Zimbabwe *Nyanga National Park in Zimbabwe * Nyanga, Western Cape, a township in S ...
, Pende, Popoi, Poto, Sango, Shi, Songo, Sukus,
Tabwa The Lungu people (also known as Rungu or Tabwa) are a Bantu ethnic group living primarily on the southwestern shores of Lake Tanganyika, on the Marungu massif in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and in southwestern Tanzania and northeas ...
,
Chokwe Chokwe may refer to: *Chokwe people, a Central African ethnic group ** Chokwe language, a Bantu language * Chokwe or Tshokwe, Botswana, a village * Chokwe, Malawi * Chókwè District, Mozambique **Chokwe, Mozambique Chokwé, and earlier known a ...
,
Téké The Teke people or Bateke, also known as the Tyo or Tio, are a Bantu people, Bantu Central African ethnic group that speak the Teke languages and that mainly inhabit the south, north, and center of the Republic of the Congo, the west of the Demo ...
, Tembo, Tetela, Topoke, Ungana, Vira, Wakuti, Yaka, Yakoma, Yanzi, Yéké, Yela etc.
Central Sudanic Central Sudanic is a family of about sixty languages that have been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. Central Sudanic languages are spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad, South Sudan, Uganda, Congo (DRC), Nigeria and ...
/ Ubangian : : Ngbandi, Ngbaka, Manvu, Mbunja, Moru- Mangbetu, Zande, Lugbara
Nilotic peoples The Nilotic peoples are people Indigenous peoples of Africa, indigenous to the Nile Valley who speak Nilotic languages. They inhabit South Sudan, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania. ...
: : Alur, Kakwa,
Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...
, Logo Pygmy peoples : : Mbuti,
Twa Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...
,
Baka Baka, baká or BAKA may refer to: Ethnicities and languages * Baka people (Cameroon and Gabon), an African ethnic group * Baka people (Congo and South Sudan), an African ethnic group * Baka language, a dialect cluster of Cameroon and Gabon * Baka ...
, Babinga More than 600,000 pygmies (around 1% of the total population) are believed to live in DR Congo, mainly in forests, where they survive by hunting wild animals and gathering fruits.


Languages

The four major languages in the DRC are
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
(official, from
colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
),
Lingala Lingala (Ngala) (Lingala: ''Lingála'') is a Bantu language spoken in the northwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the northern half of the Republic of the Congo, in their capitals, Kinshasa and Brazzaville, and to a lesser degree in ...
(a
lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
, or trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of
Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa * Swahili culture Swahili culture is the culture of ...
), Kikongo ya leta, and Tshiluba. In total, there are over 200 ethnic languages. French is generally the language of instruction in schools. English is taught as a compulsory foreign language in Secondary and High 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. Former President Kabila himself is fluent in both English and French, as was his father.


Religions

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%. Another estimate (by the
Pew Research Center The Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan American think tank (referring to itself as a "fact tank") based in Washington, D.C. It provides information on social issues, public opinion, and demographic trends shaping the United States and the w ...
in 2010) 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 Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...
1.3%, Other (includes Syncretic Sects and Indigenous beliefs) 2.7%. The Joshua Project, a Christian missionary organisation, gives the following percentages: Roman Catholic 43.9%, Protestant 24.8%, Other Christian 23.7%, Muslim 1.6%, Non-religious 0.6%, Hindu 0.1% other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 5.3%.


Other demographic statistics

These are some other demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022. *One birth every 9 seconds *One death every 38 seconds *One net migrant every 111 minutes *Net gain of one person every 11 seconds The following demographic statistics are from the
CIA World Factbook ''The World Factbook'', also known as the ''CIA World Factbook'', is a reference resource produced by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with almanac-style information about the countries of the world. The official print version is available ...
.


Population

:108,407,721 (2022 est.) :85,281,024 (July 2018 est.) :''Note'': estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and gender than would otherwise be expected (July 2017 est.)


Religions

Roman Catholic 29.9%, Protestant 26.7%, other Christian 36.5%, Kimbanguist 2.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 1.2%, none 1.3%, unspecified 0.2% (2014 est.)


Age structure

:''0-14 years:'' 46.38% (male 23,757,297/female 23,449,057) :''15-24 years:'' 19.42% (male 9,908,686/female 9,856,841) :''25-54 years:'' 28.38% (male 14,459,453/female 14,422,912) :''55-64 years:'' 3.36% (male 1,647,267/female 1,769,429) :''65 years and over:'' 2.47% (male 1,085,539/female 1,423,782) (2020 est.) :''0-14 years:'' 41.25% (male 17,735,697 /female 17,446,866) :''15-24 years:'' 21.46% (male 9,184,871 /female 9,117,462) :''25-54 years:'' 30.96% (male 13,176,714 /female 13,225,429) :''55-64 years:'' 3.63% (male 1,472,758 /female 1,625,637) :''65 years and over:'' 2.69% (male 974,293 /female 1,321,297) (2018 est.)


Median age

:total: 16.7 years. Country comparison to the world: 222nd :male: 16.5 years :female: 16.8 years (2020 est.) :total: 18.8 years. Country comparison to the world: 206th :male: 18.6 years :female: 19 years (2018 est.)


Birth rate

:40.08 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 7th :40.1 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)


Death rate

:7.94 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 95th :9.1 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)


Total fertility rate

:5.63 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 3rd :5.7 children born/woman (2020 est.)


Population growth rate

:3.14% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 9th :2.33% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 31st :2.42% (2016)


Mother's mean age at first birth

:19.9 years (2013/14 est.) :note: median age at first birth among women 25-29


Contraceptive prevalence rate

:28.1% (2017/18) :20.4% (2013/14)


Net migration rate

:-0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 131st :-0.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 105th :-0.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population ''note'': fighting between the Congolese Government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels spawned a regional war in DRC in August 1998, which left 2.33 million Congolese internally displaced and caused 412,000 Congolese refugees to flee to surrounding countries (2011 est.) Given the situation in the country and the condition of state structures, it is extremely difficult to obtain reliable data however evidence suggests that DRC continues to be a destination country for immigrants in spite of recent declines. Immigration is seen to be very diverse in nature, with refugees and asylum-seekers - products of the numerous and violent conflicts in the Great Lakes Region - constituting an important subset of the population in the country. Additionally, the country's large mine operations attract migrant workers from Africa and beyond and there is considerable migration for commercial activities from other African countries and the rest of the world, but these movements are not well studied. Transit migration towards South Africa and Europe also plays a role. Immigration in the
DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
has decreased steadily over the past two decades, most likely as a result of the armed violence that the country has experienced. According to the International Organization for Migration, the number of immigrants in the DRC has declined from just over 1 million in 1960, to 754,000 in 1990, to 480,000 in 2005, to an estimated 445,000 in 2010. Valid figures are not available on migrant workers in particular, partly due to the predominance of the
informal economy An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countrie ...
in the DRC. Data are also lacking on irregular immigrants, however given neighbouring country ethnic links to nationals of the DRC, irregular migration is assumed to be a significant phenomenon in the country. Figures on the number of Congolese nationals abroad vary greatly depending on the source, from 3 to 6 million. This discrepancy is due to a lack of official, reliable data. Emigrants from the DRC are above all long-term emigrants, the majority of which live within Africa and to a lesser extent in Europe; 79.7% and 15.3% respectively, according to estimates on 2000 data. Most Congolese emigrants however, remain in Africa, with new destination countries including South Africa and various points en route to Europe. In addition to being a host country, the DRC has also produced a considerable number of
refugees A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
and
asylum-seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for right of asylum, asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an Immigration, immigrant who has b ...
located in the region and beyond. These numbers peaked in 2004 when, according to UNHCR, there were more than 460,000 refugees from the DRC; in 2008, Congolese refugees numbered 367,995 in total, 68% of which were living in other African countries.


Religions

:Roman Catholic (55.8%), Other Christian (39.1%), Folk religion (2.5%), Islam (2.1%), None (0.5%)


Dependency ratios

:total dependency ratio: 97.5 (2015 est.) :youth dependency ratio: 91.5 (2015 est.) :elderly dependency ratio: 6 (2015 est.) :
potential support ratio The potential support ratio (PSR) is the number of people age 15–64 per one older person aged 65 or older. This ratio describes the burden placed on the working population (unemployment and children are not considered in this measure) by the non ...
: 16.8 (2015 est.)


Gender ratio

:At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female :Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female :15–64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female :65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female :Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)


Life expectancy at birth

:total population: 61.83 years. Country comparison to the world: 216th :male: 60.03 years :female: 63.69 years (2022 est.) :total population: 58.1 years (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 213rd :male: 56.5 years (2018 est.) :female: 59.7 years (2018 est.) :total population: 56.93 years :male: 55.39 years :female: 58.51 years (2015 est.)


Urbanization

:urban population: 46.8% of total population (2022) :rate of urbanization: 4.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) :urban population: 44.5% of total population (2018) :rate of urbanization: 4.53% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)


HIV/AIDS

:Adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (2017 est.) :People living with HIV/AIDS: 390,000 (2017 est.) :Deaths: 17,000 (2017 est.)


Major infectious diseases

:Degree of risk: very high :Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever and ebola. :Vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations :Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)


Nationality

:Noun: Congolese (singular and plural) :Adjective: Congolese or Congo


Literacy

:Definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba :Total population: 77% :Male: 88.5% :Female: 66.5% (2016 est.)


School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

:total: 10 years (2013) :male: 11 years (2013) :female: 9 years (2013)


Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

:total: 8.7% (2012 est.) Country comparison to the world: 134th :male: 11.3% (2012 est.) :female: 6.8% (2012 est.)


Congolese diaspora

The table below shows DRC born people who have emigrated abroad in selected Western countries (although it excludes their descendants).Flahaux M.-L. and Schoumaker B. (2016), Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Migration History Marked by Crises and Restrictions, Migration Policy Institute
Retrieved January 20, 2018.
These are only estimates and do not account for Congolese migrants residing illegally in these and other countries.


See also

Congolese ethnic groups: * Alur * Azande *
Chokwe Chokwe may refer to: *Chokwe people, a Central African ethnic group ** Chokwe language, a Bantu language * Chokwe or Tshokwe, Botswana, a village * Chokwe, Malawi * Chókwè District, Mozambique **Chokwe, Mozambique Chokwé, and earlier known a ...
*
Hema Hema may refer to: * Hemā (mythology), a figure from Polynesian mythology * HEMA (store), a Dutch chain of stores * Hema (supermarket) (盒马), a supermarket chain in China * Hema maps, an Australian map publisher * Hema people, an ethnic group ...
* Kakwa * Lendu * Luba * Mangbetu *
Twa Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major American airline which operated from 1930 until 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis, Kansas City, and other stops, with ...
* Yaka * Lunda Other articles * Health in the Democratic Republic of the Congo


References


External links

*  ,
International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global humanitarian aid, relief, and development nongovernmental organization. Founded in 1933 as the International Relief Association, at the request of Albert Einstein, and changing its name in 19 ...
, January 2008 (estimates 5.4 million excess deaths above sub-Saharan average from 1998 to 2007) {{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of The Democratic Republic Of The Congo Society of the Democratic Republic of the Congo