Annual population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Annual population growth was 3.39 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
3.39 million
Change on year
up 4.5%
World rank
4th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.39 million
in 2023
All-time low
248,358
in 1951
Years of data
73
1951–2023
Annual population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1951–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for annual population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo is 3.39 million, 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 population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 3.39 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 248,358, 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 population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 248,358 | — |
| 1952 | 260,987 | +5.1% |
| 1953 | 265,815 | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 273,587 | +2.9% |
| 1955 | 287,310 | +5.0% |
| 1956 | 299,600 | +4.3% |
| 1957 | 312,334 | +4.3% |
| 1958 | 315,511 | +1.0% |
| 1959 | 333,792 | +5.8% |
| 1960 | 373,266 | +11.8% |
| 1961 | 397,520 | +6.5% |
| 1962 | 413,356 | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 431,881 | +4.5% |
| 1964 | 447,719 | +3.7% |
| 1965 | 472,478 | +5.5% |
| 1966 | 504,126 | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 530,854 | +5.3% |
| 1968 | 549,407 | +3.5% |
| 1969 | 558,253 | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 566,995 | +1.6% |
| 1971 | 558,126 | -1.6% |
| 1972 | 555,598 | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 576,497 | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 591,220 | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 602,219 | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 602,933 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 605,025 | +0.3% |
| 1978 | 763,634 | +26.2% |
| 1979 | 894,088 | +17.1% |
| 1980 | 824,316 | -7.8% |
| 1981 | 789,420 | -4.2% |
| 1982 | 837,675 | +6.1% |
| 1983 | 912,776 | +9.0% |
| 1984 | 994,119 | +8.9% |
| 1985 | 1.02 million | +2.6% |
| 1986 | 1.00 million | -1.9% |
| 1987 | 1.03 million | +3.3% |
| 1988 | 1.08 million | +4.9% |
| 1989 | 1.10 million | +1.9% |
| 1990 | 1.20 million | +8.4% |
| 1991 | 1.24 million | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 1.30 million | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 1.43 million | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 1.97 million | +38.0% |
| 1995 | 1.81 million | -8.3% |
| 1996 | 862,407 | -52.3% |
| 1997 | 733,782 | -14.9% |
| 1998 | 1.27 million | +72.8% |
| 1999 | 1.62 million | +27.4% |
| 2000 | 1.59 million | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.63 million | +1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.62 million | -0.5% |
| 2003 | 1.59 million | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 1.65 million | +3.8% |
| 2005 | 1.78 million | +7.5% |
| 2006 | 1.84 million | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 1.86 million | +1.2% |
| 2008 | 1.91 million | +2.7% |
| 2009 | 2.02 million | +5.7% |
| 2010 | 2.15 million | +6.4% |
| 2011 | 2.29 million | +6.3% |
| 2012 | 2.41 million | +5.2% |
| 2013 | 2.53 million | +5.4% |
| 2014 | 2.61 million | +3.1% |
| 2015 | 2.63 million | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 2.92 million | +11.0% |
| 2017 | 3.13 million | +7.1% |
| 2018 | 2.96 million | -5.2% |
| 2019 | 2.90 million | -2.2% |
| 2020 | 3.04 million | +4.9% |
| 2021 | 3.16 million | +3.8% |
| 2022 | 3.25 million | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 3.39 million | +4.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.39 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 556,727, 6.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.39 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 359,940, 9.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Annual population growth 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 | 1.27 million |
| 1996 | -52.3% | 1.81 million | 862,407 |
| 1994 | +38.0% | 1.43 million | 1.97 million |
| 1999 | +27.4% | 1.27 million | 1.62 million |
| 1978 | +26.2% | 605,025 | 763,634 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 288,588 | 248,358 | 333,792 | 9 |
| 1960s | 467,886 | 373,266 | 558,253 | 10 |
| 1970s | 631,634 | 555,598 | 894,088 | 10 |
| 1980s | 960,009 | 789,420 | 1.10 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.34 million | 733,782 | 1.97 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.75 million | 1.59 million | 2.02 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.65 million | 2.15 million | 3.13 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.21 million | 3.04 million | 3.39 million | 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)
- Population growth rate 0.658 (2100)
- Population density 189.99 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 33.44 million (2100)
- Population growth rate by level of development 0.658 (2100)
- Urbanization vs gdp, annual growth rate 0.8224 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Annual population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3.39 million in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 3.39 million in 2023.
- What is the lowest annual population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 248,358 in 1951.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for annual population growth?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 4th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is annual population growth 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 Our World in Data, published as part of Annual population growth. 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).