Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) was 3.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 3.2% for population growth in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.5% on the previous year and down 4.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 4.7% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 1.6%, in 1997.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 12th of 215 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 55 years of available data.
Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 2.9% | — |
| 1971 | 2.7% | -4.3% |
| 1972 | 2.6% | -3.1% |
| 1973 | 2.7% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.7% | -0.2% |
| 1975 | 2.7% | -0.8% |
| 1976 | 2.6% | -2.5% |
| 1977 | 2.5% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 3.1% | +22.7% |
| 1979 | 3.5% | +13.3% |
| 1980 | 3.1% | -10.8% |
| 1981 | 2.9% | -7.1% |
| 1982 | 3.0% | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 3.2% | +5.7% |
| 1984 | 3.3% | +5.4% |
| 1985 | 3.3% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 3.1% | -5.0% |
| 1987 | 3.2% | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 3.2% | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| 1990 | 3.3% | +5.0% |
| 1991 | 3.3% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 3.6% | +5.8% |
| 1994 | 4.7% | +32.4% |
| 1995 | 4.2% | -12.3% |
| 1996 | 1.9% | -53.7% |
| 1997 | 1.6% | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 2.7% | +69.1% |
| 1999 | 3.4% | +23.6% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 3.2% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 3.1% | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 2.9% | -4.4% |
| 2004 | 2.9% | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 3.1% | +4.3% |
| 2006 | 3.1% | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 3.0% | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 3.0% | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 3.1% | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 3.2% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 3.3% | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | +1.8% |
| 2013 | 3.4% | +1.9% |
| 2014 | 3.4% | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 3.3% | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 3.5% | +7.2% |
| 2017 | 3.7% | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 3.3% | -8.5% |
| 2019 | 3.2% | -5.3% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | +1.6% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 3.2% | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 3.3% | +1.1% |
| 2024 | 3.2% | -0.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 2.6%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 3.2% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.3%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth (annual %) (UNESCO Institute) 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 | +69.1% | 1.6% | 2.7% |
| 1996 | -53.7% | 4.2% | 1.9% |
| 1994 | +32.4% | 3.6% | 4.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 2.8% | 2.5% | 3.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 3.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.2% | 1.6% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.1% | 2.9% | 3.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.4% | 3.2% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.2% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 5 |
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 population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3.2% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 4.7% in 1994.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.6% in 1997.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for population growth?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 12th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release