People displaced internally by natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: People displaced internally by natural disasters was 133,000 number of cases in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
133,000 number of cases
Change on year
down 68.6%
World rank
27th
of 146 countries
All-time high
888,000 number of cases
in 2021
All-time low
120 number of cases
in 2009
Years of data
16
2008–2023

People displaced internally by natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2008–2023

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2008201520232008: 5.1k number of cases2009: 120 number of cases2010: 98.0k number of cases2011: 12.0k number of cases2012: 23.0k number of cases2013: 3.8k number of cases2014: 24.0k number of cases2015: 106.0k number of cases2016: 130.0k number of cases2017: 27.0k number of cases2018: 81.0k number of cases2019: 237.0k number of cases2020: 279.0k number of cases2021: 888.0k number of cases2022: 423.0k number of cases2023: 133.0k number of cases

Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in number of cases.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 133,000 number of cases for people displaced internally by natural disasters in 2023.

The figure is down 68.6% on the previous year and up 3,400.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, people displaced internally by natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 888,000 number of cases in 2021 and was at its lowest, 120 number of cases, in 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 27th of 146 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 2,610 number of cases 120 number of cases 5,100 number of cases 2
2010s 74,180 number of cases 3,800 number of cases 237,000 number of cases 10
2020s 430,750 number of cases 133,000 number of cases 888,000 number of cases 4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 24 South Sudan 167,000 number of cases compare
  2. 25 Nigeria 166,000 number of cases compare
  3. 26 Morocco 146,000 number of cases compare
  4. 28 Iran 124,000 number of cases compare
  5. 29 Madagascar 117,000 number of cases compare
  6. 30 Nepal 110,000 number of cases compare

See the full ranking of 146 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is people displaced internally by natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo?
People displaced internally by natural disasters in Democratic Republic of Congo was 133,000 number of cases in 2023, according to Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 888,000 number of cases in 2021.
What is the lowest people displaced internally by natural disasters recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 120 number of cases in 2009.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for people displaced internally by natural disasters?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 27th out of 146 countries with data for 2023.
Is people displaced internally by natural disasters rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 3,400.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of People displaced internally by natural disasters. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
People displaced internally by natural disasters
Unit
number of cases
Source
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
146 places, 1,631 data points, 2008–2023
Last refreshed

Internally-displaced persons are defined as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, as a result of natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border.