Urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Urban population was 50.90 million in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 50.90 million for urban population in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 4.1% on the previous year and up 51.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 50.90 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.40 million, in 1960.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 18th of 218 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3.40 million | — |
| 1961 | 3.51 million | +3.1% |
| 1962 | 3.62 million | +3.2% |
| 1963 | 3.74 million | +3.3% |
| 1964 | 3.87 million | +3.4% |
| 1965 | 4.01 million | +3.5% |
| 1966 | 4.16 million | +3.7% |
| 1967 | 4.31 million | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 4.48 million | +3.9% |
| 1969 | 4.66 million | +3.9% |
| 1970 | 4.84 million | +3.9% |
| 1971 | 5.03 million | +3.8% |
| 1972 | 5.21 million | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 5.41 million | +3.8% |
| 1974 | 5.62 million | +3.8% |
| 1975 | 5.84 million | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 6.06 million | +3.8% |
| 1977 | 6.28 million | +3.7% |
| 1978 | 6.56 million | +4.3% |
| 1979 | 6.87 million | +4.8% |
| 1980 | 7.17 million | +4.4% |
| 1981 | 7.47 million | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 7.78 million | +4.2% |
| 1983 | 8.13 million | +4.4% |
| 1984 | 8.50 million | +4.6% |
| 1985 | 8.89 million | +4.6% |
| 1986 | 9.28 million | +4.4% |
| 1987 | 9.70 million | +4.5% |
| 1988 | 10.14 million | +4.6% |
| 1989 | 10.60 million | +4.6% |
| 1990 | 11.11 million | +4.8% |
| 1991 | 11.64 million | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 12.20 million | +4.9% |
| 1993 | 12.83 million | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 13.64 million | +6.3% |
| 1995 | 14.42 million | +5.7% |
| 1996 | 14.91 million | +3.4% |
| 1997 | 15.38 million | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 16.03 million | +4.3% |
| 1999 | 16.82 million | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 17.63 million | +4.8% |
| 2001 | 18.46 million | +4.7% |
| 2002 | 19.32 million | +4.6% |
| 2003 | 20.18 million | +4.5% |
| 2004 | 21.09 million | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 21.98 million | +4.2% |
| 2006 | 22.91 million | +4.2% |
| 2007 | 23.87 million | +4.2% |
| 2008 | 24.85 million | +4.1% |
| 2009 | 25.90 million | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 27.01 million | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 28.19 million | +4.4% |
| 2012 | 29.43 million | +4.4% |
| 2013 | 30.75 million | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 32.11 million | +4.4% |
| 2015 | 33.50 million | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 35.03 million | +4.6% |
| 2017 | 36.67 million | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 38.27 million | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 39.85 million | +4.1% |
| 2020 | 41.52 million | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 43.26 million | +4.2% |
| 2022 | 45.06 million | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 46.94 million | +4.2% |
| 2024 | 48.90 million | +4.2% |
| 2025 | 50.90 million | +4.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 50.90 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 7.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 50.90 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4.82 million, 10.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.98 million | 3.40 million | 4.66 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 5.77 million | 4.84 million | 6.87 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.77 million | 7.17 million | 10.60 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.90 million | 11.11 million | 16.82 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.62 million | 17.63 million | 25.90 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.08 million | 27.01 million | 39.85 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 46.10 million | 41.52 million | 50.90 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
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 50.90 million 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 50.90 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.40 million in 1960.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for urban population?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 18th 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 51.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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. 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. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.