Rural population in Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: Rural population was 51.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Rural population in Democratic Republic of the Congo, 1970–2024
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of the 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 the Congo peaked at 75.4% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 51.9%, in 2024.
Democratic Republic of the 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.
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 the Congo
More population data for Democratic Republic of the Congo
- 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)
- Fertility and wanted fertility, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, gaps filled 517,404 (2024)
- Refugee population by country or territory of asylum, per capita 0.0047 units per person (2024)
- Fertility vs unmet contraception, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
- Fertility vs contraception, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
- Rural population in Democratic Republic of the Congo was 51.9% in 2024, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest rural population recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 75.4% in 1970.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in Democratic Republic of the Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 51.9% in 2024.
- How does Democratic Republic of the Congo rank for rural population?
- Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 62nd out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rural population rising or falling in Democratic Republic of the 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 the 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