Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of population living in rural areas was 27.11 in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
27.11
World rank
104th
of 229 countries
All-time high
54.13
in 1950
All-time low
27.11
in 2020
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 54.11955: 52.41960: 50.51965: 481970: 45.11975: 42.51980: 42.31985: 41.51990: 40.11995: 37.22000: 35.12005: 33.22010: 31.12015: 28.72020: 27.1

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 27.11 for share of population living in rural areas in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is down 12.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 54.13 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 27.11, in 2020.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 104th of 229 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950 to 2020.
Year Value Change
1950 54.13
1955 52.42 -3.2%
1960 50.46 -3.7%
1965 47.96 -5.0%
1970 45.11 -5.9%
1975 42.51 -5.8%
1980 42.31 -0.5%
1985 41.55 -1.8%
1990 40.08 -3.5%
1995 37.17 -7.3%
2000 35.05 -5.7%
2005 33.22 -5.2%
2010 31.06 -6.5%
2015 28.67 -7.7%
2020 27.11 -5.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 53.27 52.42 54.13 2
1960s 49.21 47.96 50.46 2
1970s 43.81 42.51 45.11 2
1980s 41.93 41.55 42.31 2
1990s 38.62 37.17 40.08 2
2000s 34.13 33.22 35.05 2
2010s 29.86 28.67 31.06 2
2020s 27.11 27.11 27.11 1

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 101 Benin 27.44 compare
  2. 102 Nepal 27.4 compare
  3. 103 Saint Lucia 27.25 compare
  4. 105 Guatemala 27.09 compare
  5. 106 Peru 26.99 compare
  6. 107 Germany 26.98 compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo was 27.11 in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 54.13 in 1950.
What is the lowest share of population living in rural areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 27.11 in 2020.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of population living in rural areas?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 104th out of 229 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in rural areas rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 12.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in rural areas in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-rural-areas/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in rural areas
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed