Urban population (% of total population) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Urban population (% of total population) was 45.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
45.1%
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
162nd
of 218 countries
All-time high
45.1%
in 2025
All-time low
22.3%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 45.1% for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 45.1% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 22.3%, in 1960.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 162nd of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population (% of total population) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 22.3% | — |
| 1961 | 22.4% | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 22.5% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 22.7% | +0.6% |
| 1964 | 22.8% | +0.7% |
| 1965 | 23.0% | +0.7% |
| 1966 | 23.2% | +0.8% |
| 1967 | 23.4% | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 23.6% | +0.9% |
| 1969 | 23.8% | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 24.0% | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 24.3% | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 24.5% | +1.1% |
| 1973 | 24.8% | +1.1% |
| 1974 | 25.1% | +1.1% |
| 1975 | 25.4% | +1.1% |
| 1976 | 25.6% | +1.1% |
| 1977 | 25.9% | +1.1% |
| 1978 | 26.2% | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 26.5% | +1.2% |
| 1980 | 26.8% | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 27.2% | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 27.5% | +1.2% |
| 1983 | 27.8% | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 28.1% | +1.1% |
| 1985 | 28.4% | +1.2% |
| 1986 | 28.8% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 29.1% | +1.2% |
| 1988 | 29.5% | +1.3% |
| 1989 | 29.9% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 30.3% | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 30.7% | +1.4% |
| 1992 | 31.1% | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 31.5% | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 32.0% | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 32.5% | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 32.9% | +1.4% |
| 1997 | 33.4% | +1.5% |
| 1998 | 33.9% | +1.5% |
| 1999 | 34.4% | +1.5% |
| 2000 | 34.9% | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 35.4% | +1.5% |
| 2002 | 35.9% | +1.5% |
| 2003 | 36.5% | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 37.0% | +1.5% |
| 2005 | 37.4% | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 37.8% | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 38.2% | +1.1% |
| 2008 | 38.6% | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 39.0% | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 39.4% | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 39.8% | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 40.2% | +1.0% |
| 2013 | 40.6% | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 41.0% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 41.3% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 41.7% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 42.1% | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 42.5% | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 42.9% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 43.3% | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 43.6% | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 44.0% | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 44.4% | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 44.7% | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 45.1% | +0.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 45.1% is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.5%, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 45.1% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 44.9%, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 23.0% | 22.3% | 23.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 25.2% | 24.0% | 26.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | 28.3% | 26.8% | 29.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 32.3% | 30.3% | 34.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 37.1% | 34.9% | 39.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.1% | 39.4% | 42.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 44.2% | 43.3% | 45.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 159 Sierra Leone 45.9% compare
- 160 Zambia 45.9% compare
- 161 Seychelles 45.5% compare
- 163 Lesotho 44.7% compare
- 164 Central African Republic 44.6% compare
- 165 Togo 44.4% compare
More climate change data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Spring temperature anomalies 0.2047 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 4.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 3.25 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0.0012 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 4.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0.0006 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.4511 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 28.16 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo was 45.1% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 45.1% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 22.3% in 1960.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for urban population?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 162nd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.