Population:
81,331,050
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18
[see also: Population country ranks ]

Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups:
over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Languages:
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Demographic profile:
Despite a wealth of fertile soil, hydroelectric power potential, and mineral resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) struggles with many socioeconomic problems, including high infant and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, poor vaccination coverage, lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation, and frequent and early fertility. Ongoing conflict, mismanagement of resources, and a lack of investment have resulted in food insecurity; almost 30 percent of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. The overall coverage of basic public services – education, health, sanitation, and potable water – is very limited and piecemeal, with substantial regional and rural/urban disparities. Fertility remains high at almost 5 children per woman and is likely to remain high because of the low use of contraception and the cultural preference for larger families. The DRC is a source and host country for refugees. Between 2012 and 2014, more than 119,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of Congo to the relative stability of northwest DRC, but more than 540,000 Congolese refugees remained abroad as of year-end 2015. In addition, more than 1.7 million Congolese are internally displaced, the vast majority fleeing violence in the DRC’s eastern provinces between rebel group and Congolese armed forces. Thousands of refugees have come to the DRC from neighboring countries, including Rwanda, the Central African Republic, and Burundi.

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.2% (male 17,300,707/female 17,024,082)
[see also: Age structure 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 21.44% (male 8,747,038/female 8,694,000)
[see also: Age structure 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 30.13% (male 12,227,971/female 12,273,304)
[see also: Age structure 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 3.58% (male 1,374,050/female 1,535,973)
[see also: Age structure 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 2.65% (male 910,456/female 1,243,469) (2016 est.)
[see also: Age structure 65 years and over country ranks ]
population pyramid:
A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends.

For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio: 95.9%
[see also: Dependency ratios - total dependency ratio country ranks ]
youth dependency ratio: 90.1%
[see also: Dependency ratios - youth dependency ratio country ranks ]
elderly dependency ratio: 5.8%
[see also: Dependency ratios - elderly dependency ratio country ranks ]
potential support ratio: 17.2% (2015 est.)
[see also: Dependency ratios - potential support ratio country ranks ]

Median age:
total: 18.4 years
[see also: Median age - total country ranks ]
male: 18.1 years
[see also: Median age - male country ranks ]
female: 18.6 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Median age - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 210

Population growth rate:
2.42% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
[see also: Population growth rate country ranks ]

Birth rate:
34.2 births/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
[see also: Birth rate country ranks ]

Death rate:
9.9 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
[see also: Death rate country ranks ]

Net migration rate:
-0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111
[see also: Net migration rate country ranks ]

Urbanization:
urban population: 42.5% of total population (2015)
[see also: Urbanization - urban population country ranks ]
rate of urbanization: 3.96% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
[see also: Urbanization - rate of urbanization country ranks ]

Major urban areas - population:
KINSHASA (capital) 11.587 million; Lubumbashi 2.015 million; Mbuji-Mayi 20.007 million; Kananga 1.169 million; Kisangani 1.04 million; Bukavu 832,000 (2015)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - at birth country ranks ]
0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 0-14 years country ranks ]
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 15-24 years country ranks ]
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 25-54 years country ranks ]
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 55-64 years country ranks ]
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
[see also: Sex ratio - 65 years and over country ranks ]
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth:
19.9
note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2013/14 est.)
[see also: Mother's mean age at first birth country ranks ]

Maternal mortality rate:
693 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: Maternal mortality rate country ranks ]

Infant mortality rate:
total: 69.8 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - total country ranks ]
male: 73.4 deaths/1,000 live births
[see also: Infant mortality rate - male country ranks ]
female: 66.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.)
[see also: Infant mortality rate - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 12

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.3 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - total country ranks ]
male: 55.8 years
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - male country ranks ]
female: 58.9 years (2016 est.)
[see also: Life expectancy at birth - female country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 207

Total fertility rate:
4.53 children born/woman (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 23
[see also: Total fertility rate country ranks ]

Contraceptive prevalence rate:
17.7% (2010)
[see also: Contraceptive prevalence rate country ranks ]

Health expenditures:
4.3% of GDP (2014)
country comparison to the world: 123
[see also: Health expenditures country ranks ]

Hospital bed density:
0.8 beds/1,000 population (2006)
[see also: Hospital bed density country ranks ]

Drinking water source:
improved: urban: 81.1% of population rural: 31.2% of population total: 52.4% of population
[see also: Drinking water source - Improved - total country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 18.9% of population rural: 68.8% of population total: 47.6% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Drinking water source - Unimproved - total country ranks ]

Sanitation facility access:
improved: urban: 28.5% of population rural: 28.7% of population total: 28.7% of population
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total Improved country ranks ]
unimproved: urban: 71.5% of population rural: 71.3% of population total: 71.3% of population (2015 est.)
[see also: Sanitation facility access - Total UnImproved country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.85% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46
[see also: HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
374,100 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
[see also: HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS country ranks ]

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
21,700 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
[see also: HIV/AIDS - deaths country ranks ]

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and trypanosomiasis-gambiense (African sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
3.7% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 185
[see also: Obesity - adult prevalence rate country ranks ]

Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
23.4% (2014)
country comparison to the world: 25
[see also: Children under the age of 5 years underweight country ranks ]

Education expenditures:
2.2% of GDP (2013)
country comparison to the world: 157
[see also: Education expenditures - percent of GDP country ranks ]

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
total population: 63.8%
[see also: Literacy - total country ranks ]
male: 78.1%
[see also: Literacy - male country ranks ]
female: 50% (2015 est.)
[see also: Literacy - female country ranks ]

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 9 years
[see also: School life expectancy - total country ranks ]
male: 10 years
[see also: School life expectancy - male country ranks ]
female: 8 years (2013)
[see also: School life expectancy - female country ranks ]

Child labor - children ages 5-14:
total number: 8,284,395
[see also: Child labor - children ages 5-14 - total number country ranks ]
percentage: 42% (2010 est.)