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Democratic Republic of the Congo Population 2023

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as DR Congo, and historically Zaire, is a country in Central Africa. It’s the second-largest in all of Africa (after Algeria), and the 4th-most populous country in Africa (after Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt), and the 16th-most populous country in the world. 

As per the World Population Prospects, 2022 by the United Nations, the estimated population of DR Congo in 2022 is 102,262,809 (10 Crore or 100 million)

Source: World Population Prospects 2022

read about Top Countries in Africa by population

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has a population growth rate of 3.18% during 2022-2023. Its population is equivalent to 1.15% of the total world population. The total Land Area of DR Congo is 22,267,048 sq. km (875,312 sq. mi) & the Population Density of DR Congo is 40 per Km2 (103 people per mi2).

DR Congo2022 Population
Total Population99,010,212 (99 million)
Global Rank16th
Share of World Pop.1.15%
Land Area 2,267,048 sq. km (875,312 sq. mi)
Area Rank11th
Pop. Density40 person/sq. km
Capital CityKinshasa
Fertility Rate*5.96
Infant mortality rate**59.7
Median Age 17 years
Life Expectancy 61.60 years
Urban Population45.6%

Source: United Nation World  Populations Prospects 

*Fertility rate, average number of children born to women during their reproductive years.

**Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.

Source: World Population Prospects 2019

Religion in Democratic Republic of the Congo

Christianity is the main Religion religion in DR Congo. Christians make up 93.7% of the population and DR Congo has the second-largest Christain population in Africa. Among Christians, Catholics are 45%, Protestants at 40%, and other Christians at 10%. Other Christian groups include Jehovah’s Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the Greek Orthodox Church.

Traditional African religions and faiths are followed by 2.5% of the Population and followers of Islam are variously estimated around 1-2%.

Religion Percentage in DR Congo is as follows

Religion/ AffiliationsPercentage
Christianity94.9%
– Roman Catholic45%
– Protestants40%
– Other Christian10%
Islam2%
Traditional faiths2.50%
No religion0.50%
Others< 1%

Source: Estimates

Top Cities in DR Congo by Population
#CityProvincePopulation
1KinshasaKinshasa8,900,721
2LubumbashiKatanga1,630,186
3Mbuji-Mayi (Bakwanga)Kasai-Oriental1,559,073
4BukavuSud-Kivu1,012,053
5KanangaKasai-Occidental967,007
6KisanganiOrientale868,672
7TshikapaKasai-Occidental524,293
8KolweziKatanga451,168
9LikasiKatanga422,535
10GomaNord-Kivu377,112
11KikwitBandundu370,328
12UviraSud-Kivu337,488
13BuniaOrientale327,837
14Mbandaka (Coquilhatville)Équateur324,236
15MatadiBas-Congo291,338
16ButemboNord-Kivu204,452
17KabindaKasai-Oriental192,364
18Mwene-DituKasai-Oriental190,718
19BomaBas-Congo167,326
20KinduManiema163,587
21KaminaKatanga143,753
22Gandajika (Ngandajika)Kasai-Oriental140,556
23BandunduBandundu137,460
24GemenaÉquateur132,971
25KipushiKatanga121,831

 

Population of DR Congo 2024 | Religion in DR Congo

Rajeev Rana

Rajeev Rana loves reading about history and demography and has been writing on these topics for five years. While not a certified expert, he has a deep understanding of demography in India. Rajeev contributes to several websites and has extensive knowledge of the Delhi NCR area.