World Factbook
DR Congo
République démocratique du Congo
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Literacy
male
87.5% (2018 est.)
female
61.6% (2018 est.)
total population
73.6% (2018 est.)
Languages
Languages
French (official), Lingala (a trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba
major-language sample(s)
Buku oyo ya bosembo ya Mokili Mobimba Ezali na Makanisi ya Liboso Mpenza. (Lingala) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Religions
Christian 93/1% (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.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.03 male(s)/female
0-14 years
1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years
1 male(s)/female
total population
1 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
65 years and over
0.78 male(s)/female
Birth rate
38.8 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate
7.37 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Median age
male
16.7 years
total
16.9 years (2025 est.)
female
17 years
Population
male
59,509,076
total
119,038,825 (2025 est.)
female
59,529,749
Nationality
noun
Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective
Congolese or Congo
Tobacco use
male
18.8% (2025 est.)
total
10.4% (2025 est.)
female
2.3% (2025 est.)
Urbanization
urban population
47.4% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization
4.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
45.7% (male 26,584,268/female 26,208,891)
15-64 years
51.8% (male 29,845,450/female 29,884,958)
65 years and over
2.5% (2024 est.) (male 1,258,442/female 1,621,018)
Ethnic groups
more than 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest groups - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) - make up about 45% of the population
Child marriage
men married by age 18
5.6% (2018)
women married by age 15
8.4% (2018)
women married by age 18
29.1% (2018)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio
92.1 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio
87.3 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio
20.8 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio
4.8 (2025 est.)
Physician density
0.21 physicians/1,000 population (2022)
Health expenditure
Health expenditure (as % of GDP)
3.8% of GDP (2021)
Health expenditure (as % of national budget)
4% of national budget (2022 est.)
Net migration rate
-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Total fertility rate
5.42 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Drinking water source
improved: rural
rural: 13.8% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 35.1% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 59.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 86.2% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 64.9% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 40.7% of population (2022 est.)
Education expenditure
Education expenditure (% GDP)
2.8% of GDP (2022 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget)
13.5% national budget (2017 est.)
Infant mortality rate
male
62.9 deaths/1,000 live births
total
55.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
female
51.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Population growth rate
3.09% (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate
2.67 (2025 est.)
Population distribution
urban clusters are spread throughout the country, particularly in the northeast along the border with Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi; the largest city is the capital, Kinshasha, located in the west along the Congo River; the south is least densely populated, as shown in this population distribution map
Life expectancy at birth
male
60.7 years
female
64.6 years
total population
62.6 years (2024 est.)
Maternal mortality ratio
427 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)
Sanitation facility access
improved: rural
rural: 20.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total
total: 33.7% of population (2022 est.)
improved: urban
urban: 48.8% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural
rural: 79.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total
total: 66.3% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban
urban: 51.2% of population (2022 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
beer
0.5 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
wine
0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
total
0.56 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
spirits
0.05 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
other alcohols
0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Major urban areas - population
16.316 million KINSHASA (capital), 2.892 million Mbuji-Mayi, 2.812 million Lubumbashi, 1.664 million Kananga, 1.423 million Kisangani, 1.249 million Bukavu (2023)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate
6.7% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth
19.9 years (2013/14 est.)
note: data represents median age at first birth among women 20-49
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
58.2% (2018 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight
25% (2023 est.)