Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo
Congo: Share of urban population who live in the largest city was 62.4% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo, 1965–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Congo recorded 62.4% for share of urban population who live in the largest city in 2020. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 24.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo peaked at 62.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 33.9%, in 1965.
That places Congo 15th out of 179 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 33.9% | — |
| 1970 | 38.4% | +13.1% |
| 1975 | 41.8% | +9.0% |
| 1980 | 47.4% | +13.3% |
| 1985 | 52.1% | +10.0% |
| 1990 | 50.3% | -3.5% |
| 1995 | 48.1% | -4.2% |
| 2000 | 47.2% | -1.9% |
| 2005 | 46.9% | -0.6% |
| 2010 | 50.3% | +7.2% |
| 2015 | 57.1% | +13.6% |
| 2020 | 62.4% | +9.2% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 62.4% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 24.9%, 2.5× the median. (45 countries reporting)
- Congo's 62.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 28.9%, 2.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 33.9% | 33.9% | 33.9% | 1 |
| 1970s | 40.1% | 38.4% | 41.8% | 2 |
| 1980s | 49.7% | 47.4% | 52.1% | 2 |
| 1990s | 49.2% | 48.1% | 50.3% | 2 |
| 2000s | 47.1% | 46.9% | 47.2% | 2 |
| 2010s | 53.7% | 50.3% | 57.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 62.4% | 62.4% | 62.4% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More population data for Congo
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5095 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6949 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.03 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate 0.6949 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population growth rate, by level of development 0.7% (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.51 million people (2100)
- Population density 58.64 people per km² (2100)
- World population growth 0.7% (2100)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0471 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.17 Percent per annum (2030)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo?
- Share of urban population who live in the largest city in Congo was 62.4% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 62.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of urban population who live in the largest city recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 33.9% in 1965.
- How does Congo rank for share of urban population who live in the largest city?
- Congo ranks 15th out of 179 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of urban population who live in the largest city rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of urban population who live in the largest city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the urban population living in the country's largest city (by population). City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.