Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo
Congo: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 64.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
64.1%
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
124th
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.1%
in 2025
All-time low
31.5%
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, 1950–2025
Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Congo recorded 64.1% for share of population living in urban and rural areas in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo peaked at 64.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 1950.
Congo ranks 124th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 31.5% | — |
| 1951 | 32.1% | +2.1% |
| 1952 | 32.7% | +2.0% |
| 1953 | 33.4% | +1.8% |
| 1954 | 33.9% | +1.7% |
| 1955 | 34.5% | +1.6% |
| 1956 | 35.0% | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 35.5% | +1.4% |
| 1958 | 35.9% | +1.3% |
| 1959 | 36.3% | +1.1% |
| 1960 | 36.7% | +1.0% |
| 1961 | 37.0% | +0.8% |
| 1962 | 37.0% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 37.1% | +0.1% |
| 1964 | 37.2% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 37.3% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 37.4% | +0.4% |
| 1967 | 37.6% | +0.5% |
| 1968 | 37.8% | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 38.1% | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 38.3% | +0.7% |
| 1971 | 38.6% | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 38.9% | +0.8% |
| 1973 | 39.2% | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 39.6% | +1.0% |
| 1975 | 40.2% | +1.6% |
| 1976 | 41.2% | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 42.4% | +2.9% |
| 1978 | 43.8% | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 45.3% | +3.4% |
| 1980 | 46.8% | +3.3% |
| 1981 | 48.2% | +3.1% |
| 1982 | 49.6% | +2.8% |
| 1983 | 50.7% | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 51.6% | +1.8% |
| 1985 | 52.3% | +1.3% |
| 1986 | 52.9% | +1.0% |
| 1987 | 53.4% | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 53.8% | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 54.2% | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 54.6% | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 54.9% | +0.7% |
| 1992 | 55.3% | +0.6% |
| 1993 | 55.6% | +0.6% |
| 1994 | 56.0% | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 56.4% | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 56.8% | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 57.3% | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 57.8% | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 58.3% | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 58.9% | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 59.4% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 60.0% | +0.9% |
| 2003 | 60.5% | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 60.9% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 61.3% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 61.6% | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 61.9% | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 62.0% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 62.2% | +0.3% |
| 2010 | 62.4% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 62.6% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 62.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 62.9% | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 63.0% | +0.2% |
| 2015 | 63.1% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 63.3% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 63.4% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 63.4% | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 63.5% | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 63.6% | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 63.6% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 63.6% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 63.7% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 63.9% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 64.1% | +0.4% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 64.1% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 50.9%, 1.3× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 64.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.4× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 34.1% | 31.5% | 36.3% | 10 |
| 1960s | 37.3% | 36.7% | 38.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 40.8% | 38.3% | 45.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 51.3% | 46.8% | 54.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 56.3% | 54.6% | 58.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 60.9% | 58.9% | 62.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 63.0% | 62.4% | 63.5% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.8% | 63.6% | 64.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More population data for Congo
- Population regions 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 long run with projections, annual growth rate 0.6949 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate 0.5095 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 10,379 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 2.17 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.0471 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth 0.7% (2100)
- Population density 58.64 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 1.51 million people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo was 64.1% in 2025, according to United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 64.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 1950.
- How does Congo rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Congo ranks 124th out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.