Annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual change in population was 3.39 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.39 million people
Change on year
up 4.5%
World rank
4th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.39 million people
in 2023
All-time low
248,358 people
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1951–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo is 3.39 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 33.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 3.39 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 248,358 people, in 1951.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 4th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 248,358 people | — |
| 1952 | 260,987 people | +5.1% |
| 1953 | 265,815 people | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 273,587 people | +2.9% |
| 1955 | 287,310 people | +5.0% |
| 1956 | 299,600 people | +4.3% |
| 1957 | 312,334 people | +4.3% |
| 1958 | 315,511 people | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 333,792 people | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 373,266 people | +11.8% |
| 1961 | 397,520 people | +6.5% |
| 1962 | 413,356 people | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 431,881 people | +4.5% |
| 1964 | 447,719 people | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 472,478 people | +5.5% |
| 1966 | 504,126 people | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 530,854 people | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 549,407 people | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 558,253 people | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 566,995 people | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 558,126 people | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 555,598 people | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 576,497 people | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 591,220 people | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 602,219 people | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 602,933 people | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 605,025 people | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 763,634 people | +26.2% |
| 1979 | 894,088 people | +17.1% |
| 1980 | 824,316 people | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 789,420 people | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 837,675 people | +6.1% |
| 1983 | 912,776 people | +9.0% |
| 1984 | 994,119 people | +8.9% |
| 1985 | 1.02 million people | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 1.00 million people | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 1.03 million people | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.08 million people | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 1.10 million people | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 1.20 million people | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 1.24 million people | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 1.30 million people | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 1.43 million people | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 1.97 million people | +38.0% |
| 1995 | 1.81 million people | -8.3% |
| 1996 | 862,407 people | -52.3% |
| 1997 | 733,782 people | -14.9% |
| 1998 | 1.27 million people | +72.8% |
| 1999 | 1.62 million people | +27.4% |
| 2000 | 1.59 million people | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.63 million people | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.62 million people | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.59 million people | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.65 million people | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 1.78 million people | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 1.84 million people | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.86 million people | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.91 million people | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.02 million people | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 2.15 million people | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 2.29 million people | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 2.41 million people | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 2.53 million people | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 2.61 million people | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.63 million people | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.92 million people | +11.0% |
| 2017 | 3.13 million people | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 2.96 million people | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.90 million people | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 3.04 million people | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 3.16 million people | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 3.25 million people | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 3.39 million people | +4.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.39 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 556,727 people, 6.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.39 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940 people, 9.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +72.8% | 733,782 people | 1.27 million people |
| 1996 | -52.3% | 1.81 million people | 862,407 people |
| 1994 | +38.0% | 1.43 million people | 1.97 million people |
| 1999 | +27.4% | 1.27 million people | 1.62 million people |
| 1978 | +26.2% | 605,025 people | 763,634 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 288,588 people | 248,358 people | 333,792 people | 9 |
| 1960s | 467,886 people | 373,266 people | 558,253 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 631,634 people | 555,598 people | 894,088 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 960,009 people | 789,420 people | 1.10 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.34 million people | 733,782 people | 1.97 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 million people | 1.59 million people | 2.02 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.65 million people | 2.15 million people | 3.13 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.21 million people | 3.04 million people | 3.39 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More population data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate 1.57 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6699 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.6537 % change on previous year (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.1964 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.7% (2100)
- Population density 189.99 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 33.44 million people (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.7% (2100)
- Number of people living in urban and rural areas, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual change in population in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3.39 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual change in population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 3.39 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual change in population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 248,358 people in 1951.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual change in population?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual change in population rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual change in population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 73 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual change in population, calculated as the difference between population on 1 July of consecutive years.