Number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of children under 5 was 19.28 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2023)
19.28 million people
Change on year
up 2.8%
World rank
6th
of 236 countries
All-time high
19.28 million people
in 2023
All-time low
2.17 million people
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo is 19.28 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is up 2.8% on the previous year and up 37.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 19.28 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 2.17 million people, in 1950.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 2.17 million people | — |
| 1951 | 2.18 million people | +0.6% |
| 1952 | 2.20 million people | +0.9% |
| 1953 | 2.23 million people | +1.4% |
| 1954 | 2.28 million people | +2.1% |
| 1955 | 2.33 million people | +2.5% |
| 1956 | 2.39 million people | +2.6% |
| 1957 | 2.46 million people | +2.7% |
| 1958 | 2.52 million people | +2.7% |
| 1959 | 2.59 million people | +2.7% |
| 1960 | 2.67 million people | +2.9% |
| 1961 | 2.75 million people | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 2.83 million people | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 2.92 million people | +3.1% |
| 1964 | 3.01 million people | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 3.11 million people | +3.3% |
| 1966 | 3.22 million people | +3.4% |
| 1967 | 3.33 million people | +3.5% |
| 1968 | 3.44 million people | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 3.56 million people | +3.3% |
| 1970 | 3.67 million people | +3.2% |
| 1971 | 3.79 million people | +3.0% |
| 1972 | 3.89 million people | +2.8% |
| 1973 | 4.00 million people | +2.7% |
| 1974 | 4.10 million people | +2.6% |
| 1975 | 4.20 million people | +2.5% |
| 1976 | 4.30 million people | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 4.41 million people | +2.3% |
| 1978 | 4.52 million people | +2.5% |
| 1979 | 4.65 million people | +2.9% |
| 1980 | 4.79 million people | +3.1% |
| 1981 | 4.94 million people | +3.2% |
| 1982 | 5.11 million people | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 5.29 million people | +3.6% |
| 1984 | 5.49 million people | +3.7% |
| 1985 | 5.69 million people | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 5.90 million people | +3.7% |
| 1987 | 6.12 million people | +3.7% |
| 1988 | 6.34 million people | +3.6% |
| 1989 | 6.56 million people | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 6.77 million people | +3.3% |
| 1991 | 6.99 million people | +3.2% |
| 1992 | 7.22 million people | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 7.46 million people | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 7.75 million people | +3.9% |
| 1995 | 8.09 million people | +4.4% |
| 1996 | 8.40 million people | +3.8% |
| 1997 | 8.66 million people | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 8.91 million people | +2.9% |
| 1999 | 9.18 million people | +3.0% |
| 2000 | 9.42 million people | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 9.66 million people | +2.5% |
| 2002 | 9.91 million people | +2.7% |
| 2003 | 10.20 million people | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 10.50 million people | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 10.79 million people | +2.8% |
| 2006 | 11.10 million people | +2.9% |
| 2007 | 11.44 million people | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 11.81 million people | +3.3% |
| 2009 | 12.22 million people | +3.5% |
| 2010 | 12.66 million people | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 13.11 million people | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.58 million people | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 14.07 million people | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 14.56 million people | +3.5% |
| 2015 | 15.05 million people | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 15.55 million people | +3.3% |
| 2017 | 16.07 million people | +3.3% |
| 2018 | 16.60 million people | +3.3% |
| 2019 | 17.13 million people | +3.2% |
| 2020 | 17.67 million people | +3.1% |
| 2021 | 18.21 million people | +3.1% |
| 2022 | 18.75 million people | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 19.28 million people | +2.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 19.28 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.35 million people, 5.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 19.28 million people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.19 million people, 8.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.34 million people | 2.17 million people | 2.59 million people | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.09 million people | 2.67 million people | 3.56 million people | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.15 million people | 3.67 million people | 4.65 million people | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.62 million people | 4.79 million people | 6.56 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.94 million people | 6.77 million people | 9.18 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 10.71 million people | 9.42 million people | 12.22 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.84 million people | 12.66 million people | 17.13 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.48 million people | 17.67 million people | 19.28 million people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3528 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.335 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Number of children under 5 in Democratic Republic of Congo was 19.28 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 19.28 million people in 2023.
- What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.17 million people in 1950.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of children under 5?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.