Birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Birth rate was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
41.3 births per 1,000 people
Change on year
down 0.8%
World rank
5th
of 236 countries
All-time high
47.89 births per 1,000 people
in 1966
All-time low
41.3 births per 1,000 people
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 41.3 births per 1,000 people for birth rate in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 47.89 births per 1,000 people in 1966 and was at its lowest, 41.3 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 5th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 46.08 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 46.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 46.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 46.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 46.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 46.53 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 46.74 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1959 | 46.81 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 47.06 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 47.21 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 47.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 47.48 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 47.66 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 47.75 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 47.89 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 47.68 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 47.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 47.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 47.15 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 46.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 46.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 46.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 45.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 45.44 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 46.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 46.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 46.06 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 46.5 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 46.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 46.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 45.99 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 45.71 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 45.88 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 45.34 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 47 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.99 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 44.94 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 45.23 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 45.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 44.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 44.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 44.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 43.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 43.73 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 43.97 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 43.96 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 44.01 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 44.03 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 43.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 43.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 43.69 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 43.51 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 43.24 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 42.88 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 42.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 42.89 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 42.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 42.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 41.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 41.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 41.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.3 births per 1,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.3 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.33 births per 1,000 people | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | 46.81 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.58 births per 1,000 people | 47.06 births per 1,000 people | 47.89 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.53 births per 1,000 people | 45.44 births per 1,000 people | 47.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.26 births per 1,000 people | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.91 births per 1,000 people | 44.94 births per 1,000 people | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.25 births per 1,000 people | 43.73 births per 1,000 people | 45.3 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.36 births per 1,000 people | 42.55 births per 1,000 people | 43.98 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.76 births per 1,000 people | 41.3 births per 1,000 people | 42.19 births per 1,000 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 birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Birth rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 47.89 births per 1,000 people in 1966.
- What is the lowest birth rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for birth rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Total number of births per 1,000 people in a given year.