Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) was 51.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
51.9%
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
62nd
of 214 countries
All-time high
75.4%
in 1970
All-time low
51.9%
in 2024
Years of data
55
1970–2024
Rural population in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 51.9% for rural population in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 55 years on record.
The figure is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 10.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 75.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 2024.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 62nd of 214 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Rural population (% of total population) (UNESCO Institute) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 75.4% | — |
| 1971 | 75.2% | -0.3% |
| 1972 | 74.9% | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 74.7% | -0.3% |
| 1974 | 74.4% | -0.3% |
| 1975 | 74.2% | -0.3% |
| 1976 | 73.9% | -0.3% |
| 1977 | 73.7% | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 73.4% | -0.3% |
| 1979 | 73.2% | -0.3% |
| 1980 | 72.9% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 72.7% | -0.3% |
| 1982 | 72.4% | -0.4% |
| 1983 | 72.2% | -0.4% |
| 1984 | 71.9% | -0.4% |
| 1985 | 71.5% | -0.6% |
| 1986 | 71.1% | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 70.7% | -0.6% |
| 1988 | 70.2% | -0.6% |
| 1989 | 69.8% | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 69.4% | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 68.9% | -0.6% |
| 1992 | 68.5% | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 68.1% | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 67.6% | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 67.2% | -0.7% |
| 1996 | 66.7% | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 66.3% | -0.7% |
| 1998 | 65.8% | -0.7% |
| 1999 | 65.3% | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 64.9% | -0.7% |
| 2001 | 64.4% | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 63.9% | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 63.5% | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 63.0% | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 62.5% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 62.0% | -0.8% |
| 2007 | 61.5% | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 61.0% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 60.5% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 60.0% | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 59.5% | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 58.9% | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 58.4% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 57.8% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 57.3% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 56.7% | -1.0% |
| 2017 | 56.1% | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 55.5% | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 55.0% | -1.1% |
| 2020 | 54.4% | -1.1% |
| 2021 | 53.8% | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 53.2% | -1.1% |
| 2023 | 52.6% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 51.9% | -1.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 51.9% is below the median for low income countries, which is 59.5%, 87% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 51.9% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 54.5%, 95% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 74.3% | 73.2% | 75.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.5% | 69.8% | 72.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 67.4% | 65.3% | 69.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 62.7% | 60.5% | 64.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 57.5% | 55.0% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 53.2% | 51.9% | 54.4% | 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 rural population in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Rural population in Democratic Republic of Congo was 51.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 2024.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for rural population?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 62nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Rural population (% of total population). 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