Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) was 3,419 thousands in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
3,419 thousands
Change on year
up 3.5%
World rank
35th
of 233 countries
All-time high
3,419 thousands
in 2025
All-time low
566.91 thousands
in 1970
Years of data
56
1970–2025
Population aged 65 years or older in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in thousands.
Analysis
In 2025, population aged 65 years or older in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 3,419 thousands. That is the highest value across all 56 years on record.
The figure is up 3.5% on the previous year and up 36.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population aged 65 years or older in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 3,419 thousands in 2025 and was at its lowest, 566.91 thousands, in 1970.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 35th out of 233 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population aged 65 years or older (thousands) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | thousands | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 566.91 thousands | — |
| 1971 | 582.24 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 597.18 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 613.13 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 629.87 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 647.24 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1976 | 665.26 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1977 | 683.31 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1978 | 702.12 thousands | +2.8% |
| 1979 | 728.05 thousands | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 752.79 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 775.03 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1982 | 798.21 thousands | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 823.31 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1984 | 850.4 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 879.5 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1986 | 907.34 thousands | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 935.39 thousands | +3.1% |
| 1988 | 965.92 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 997.99 thousands | +3.3% |
| 1990 | 1,032 thousands | +3.4% |
| 1991 | 1,070 thousands | +3.8% |
| 1992 | 1,108 thousands | +3.5% |
| 1993 | 1,151 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1994 | 1,197 thousands | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 1,267 thousands | +5.9% |
| 1996 | 1,301 thousands | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 1,324 thousands | +1.7% |
| 1998 | 1,359 thousands | +2.6% |
| 1999 | 1,414 thousands | +4.1% |
| 2000 | 1,466 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2001 | 1,521 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 1,577 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 1,633 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2004 | 1,690 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 1,752 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2006 | 1,817 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2007 | 1,883 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2008 | 1,950 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2009 | 2,020 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2010 | 2,095 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2011 | 2,175 thousands | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 2,257 thousands | +3.8% |
| 2013 | 2,341 thousands | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 2,421 thousands | +3.4% |
| 2015 | 2,497 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 2,571 thousands | +3.0% |
| 2017 | 2,660 thousands | +3.5% |
| 2018 | 2,746 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2019 | 2,831 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2020 | 2,919 thousands | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 3,005 thousands | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 3,090 thousands | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 3,189 thousands | +3.2% |
| 2024 | 3,303 thousands | +3.6% |
| 2025 | 3,419 thousands | +3.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3,419 thousands is above the median for low income countries, which is 589.35 thousands, 5.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3,419 thousands is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 448.46 thousands, 7.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 641.53 thousands | 566.91 thousands | 728.05 thousands | 10 |
| 1980s | 868.59 thousands | 752.79 thousands | 997.99 thousands | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,222 thousands | 1,032 thousands | 1,414 thousands | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,731 thousands | 1,466 thousands | 2,020 thousands | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,459 thousands | 2,095 thousands | 2,831 thousands | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,154 thousands | 2,919 thousands | 3,419 thousands | 6 |
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 population aged 65 years or older in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Population aged 65 years or older in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3,419 thousands in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 3,419 thousands in 2025.
- What is the lowest population aged 65 years or older recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 566.91 thousands in 1970.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for population aged 65 years or older?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 35th out of 233 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population aged 65 years or older rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 36.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population aged 65 years or older (thousands). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release