Population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

As of April 2025, the population of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is 108.2 million. The number of inhabitants has increased by 3 million in the last year, representing a growth of 3.27%. The median age of the population has decreased in recent years, rising from 15.7 years in 2015 to 15.6 years in 2025. Currently, life expectancy at birth is 61.4 years and population density is 48.1 inhabitants per square kilometer.

Population Growth

The population growth rate of the Democratic Republic of the Congo peaked in 1994, reaching around 5.92% annually, but has since declined to approximately 3.2% in 2025. However, the annual increase in the number of people continues to rise, reaching around 3.49 million in 2025.

Life Expectancy

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, life expectancy at birth has been increasing, with the indicator rising from 53.9 years in 2005 to 61.4 years in 2025, representing an increase of more than 7 years over the past 2 decades.

Most populous cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has several cities considered medium-sized by their number of inhabitants, but there are also some large ones. The most populous city is Kinshasa, con una diferencia significativa sobre las demás, alcanzando approximately 16 million inhabitants. It is followed by Lubumbashi, Haut-Katanga with 2.2 million and Mbuji-Mayi, Kasaï-Oriental with 2.1 million.

These are the 20 most populous cities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: