This article is about the demographic features of the

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of the Republic of the Congo, including

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. The Republic of the Congo's sparse population is concentrated in the southwestern portion of the country, leaving the vast areas of tropical

jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja� ...

in the north virtually uninhabited. Thus, Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with 85% of its total population living in a few urban areas, namely in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or one of the small cities or villages lining the railway which connects the two cities. In rural areas, industrial and commercial activity has declined rapidly in recent years, leaving rural economies dependent on the government for support and subsistence. Before the 1997 war, about 15,000 Europeans and other non-Africans lived in Congo, most of whom were French. Presently, only about 9,500 remain.

Pygmies In anthropology, pygmy peoples are ethnic groups whose average height is unusually short. The term pygmyism is used to describe the phenotype of endemic short stature (as opposed to disproportionate dwarfism occurring in isolated cases in a pop ...

make up 2% of Congo's population.

Population

According to the total population was in , compared to only 808 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.7% 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.2009): Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in the Republic of the Congo is incomplete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. Source:

UN DESA The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) is part of the United Nations Secretariat and is responsible for the follow-up to major United Nations Summits and Conferences, as well as services to the United Nations Econ ...

, World Population Prospects, 2022

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Fertility data as of 2011-2012 (DHS Program):

Ethnic groups

: Kongo 40.5%,

Teke Teke or Tekke can refer to: People * Teke (Turkmen tribe) or Tekke, a tribe of southern Turkmenistan * Teke people or Bateke, a Central African ethnic group * Fatih Tekke (born 1977), Turkish footballer * Kent Tekulve (born 1947), American baseba ...

16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%,

Sangha Sangha is a Sanskrit word used in many Indian languages, including Pali meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community"; Sangha is often used as a surname across these languages. It was historically used in a political context t ...

5.6%, Europeans and other 23.9%

Languages

French (official), Kituba or Monokutuba ( lingua franca), Kongo or Kikongo,

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 ...

, and many local languages and dialects. The majority of the population is concentrated along the railroad between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in the south where Kituba (a creole language based on Kikongo) is the primary language. Lingala is influential in the sparsely inhabited northern half of the country.

Religion

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%,

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Islam 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, Other 8.1%, None 11.3% (2010 est.)

Health

Life expectancy for the population was estimated at 54.91 years in 2011: 53.62 for males and 56.25 for females. The adult prevalence rate for

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

/ AIDS was 3.4% as of 2009, representing 77,000 people living with the disease and 5,100 deaths. The Republic of Congo is considered to have a high degree of risk of infectious diseases, particularly bacterial

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin w ...

hepatitis A Hepatitis A is an infectious disease of the liver caused by ''Hepatovirus A'' (HAV); it is a type of viral hepatitis. Many cases have few or no symptoms, especially in the young. The time between infection and symptoms, in those who develop them ...

and

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

(all food- or waterborne), and

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...

(vectorborne).

Education

As of 2003, 83.8% of the adult population was considered literate, consisting 89.3% of males and 78.4% of females.

Other demographic statistics

Demographic statistics according to the World Population Review in 2022. *One birth every 3 minutes *One death every 14 minutes *One net migrant every 206 minutes *Net gain of one person every 4 minutes The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook.

Population

:5,546,307 (2022 est.) :5,062,021 (July 2018 est.)

Religions

Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2007 est.)

Age structure

Republic of the Congo single age population pyramid 2020

:''0-14 years:'' 41.57% (male 1,110,484/female 1,089,732) :''15-24 years:'' 17.14% (male 454,981/female 452,204) :''25-54 years:'' 33.5% (male 886,743/female 886,312) :''55-64 years:'' 4.59% (male 125,207/female 117,810) :''65 years and over:'' 3.2% (male 75,921/female 93,676) (2020 est.) :''0-14 years:'' 41.75% (male 1,066,474 /female 1,046,924) :''15-24 years:'' 16.99% (male 431,279 /female 428,999) :''25-54 years:'' 33.77% (male 857,596 /female 851,712) :''55-64 years:'' 4.39% (male 112,669 /female 109,429) :''65 years and over:'' 3.1% (male 69,621 /female 87,318) (2018 est.) :''0-14 years:'' 41.67% (male 1,041,761/female 1,022,763) :''15-24 years:'' 17.1% (male 424,521/female 422,755) :''25-54 years:'' 33.89% (male 843,856/female 835,041) :''55-64 years:'' 4.29% (male 106,776/female 105,573) :''65 years and over:'' 3.06% (male 66,962/female 84,666) (2017 est.)

Median age

:total: 19.5 years. Country comparison to the world: 202nd :male: 19.3 years :female: 19.7 years (2020 est.) :total: 19.6 years. Country comparison to the world: 199th :male: 19.4 years :female: 19.8 years (2018 est.) :''total:'' 19.7 years :''male:'' 19.5 years :''female:'' 19.8 years (2017 est.)

Birth rate

:31.82 births/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 26th :33.7 births/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 26th :34.4 births/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Death rate

:8.38 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 76th :9.2 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 58th :9.5 deaths/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Total fertility rate The total fertility rate (TFR) of a population is the average number of children that would be born to a woman over her lifetime if: # she were to experience the exact current age-specific fertility rates (ASFRs) through her lifetime # she were t ...

:4.36 children born/woman (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 21st :4.26 children born/woman (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 28th

Population growth rate

:2.34% (2022 est.) Country comparison to the world: 30th :2.17% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 38th :2.11% (2017 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

:19.8 years (2011/12 est.) :note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Contraceptive prevalence rate

:30.1% (2014/15)

Net migration rate

:-2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 172nd

Religions

:Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.)

Dependency ratios

:total dependency ratio: 84.5 (2015 est.) :youth dependency ratio: 78.3 (2015 est.) :elderly dependency ratio: 6.2 (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 no ...

: 16.1 (2015 est.)

Urbanization

:urban population: 68.7% of total population (2022) :rate of urbanization: 3.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) :''urban population:'' 66.9% of total population (2018) :''rate of urbanisation:'' 3.28% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Sex ratio

:''at birth:'' 1.02 male(s)/female :''0-14 years:'' 1.02 male(s)/female :''15-24 years:'' 1 male(s)/female :''25-54 years:'' 1.01 male(s)/female :''55-64 years:'' 0.99 male(s)/female :''65 years and over:'' 0.78 male(s)/female :''total population:'' 1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

:total: 53.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) :male: 58.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) :female: 48.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

:total population: 62.1 years. Country comparison to the world: 215th :male: 60.65 years :female: 63.61 years (2022 est.) :total population: 60.3 years (2018 est.) :male: 59 years (2018 est.) :female: 61.6 years (2018 est.)

HIV/AIDS

: Adult prevalence rate: 3.1% (2017 est.) : People living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (2017 est.) : HIV/AIDS deaths: 4,900 (2017 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

: 9.6% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

: 12.3% (2015)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write :total population: 80.3% :male: 86.1% :female: 74.6% (2018) definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.) :total population: 79.3% (2015 est.) :male: 86.4% (2015 est.) :female: 72.9% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

:total: 11 years (2012) :male: 11 years (2012) :female: 11 years (2012)

Major infectious diseases

*degree of risk: very high (2020) *food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever *vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever *water contact diseases: schistosomiasis *animal contact diseases: rabies note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; the Republic of the Congo is currently considered a high risk to travelers for circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPV); vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) is a strain of the weakened poliovirus that was initially included in oral polio vaccine (OPV) and that has changed over time and behaves more like the wild or naturally occurring virus; this means it can be spread more easily to people who are unvaccinated against polio and who come in contact with the stool or respiratory secretions, such as from a sneeze, of an “infected” person who received oral polio vaccine; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine

References

{{CIA World Factbook, year=2006 Society of the Republic of the Congo