Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths was 511,169 children in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
511,169 children
Change on year
down 7.7%
World rank
7th
of 139 countries
All-time high
696,475 children
in 2013
All-time low
84,009 children
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024

Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2024

0200.0k400.0k600.0k1990200720241990: 84.0k children1991: 109.8k children1992: 140.1k children1993: 175.1k children1994: 214.5k children1995: 260.1k children1996: 306.3k children1997: 350.5k children1998: 393.5k children1999: 435.5k children2000: 476.5k children2001: 514.9k children2002: 550.1k children2003: 581.4k children2004: 608.8k children2005: 631.3k children2006: 648.7k children2007: 662.7k children2008: 676.4k children2009: 685.7k children2010: 689.1k children2011: 692.0k children2012: 695.7k children2013: 696.5k children2014: 695.5k children2015: 691.8k children2016: 687.6k children2017: 679.6k children2018: 665.8k children2019: 659.4k children2020: 649.3k children2021: 625.3k children2022: 591.8k children2023: 554.1k children2024: 511.2k children

Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in children.

Analysis

The most recent figure for children orphaned due to aids deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo is 511,169 children, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 26.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, children orphaned due to aids deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 696,475 children in 2013 and was at its lowest, 84,009 children, in 1990.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 139 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 246,962 children 84,009 children 435,532 children 10
2000s 603,652 children 476,487 children 685,662 children 10
2010s 685,296 children 659,407 children 696,475 children 10
2020s 586,333 children 511,169 children 649,296 children 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 4 Uganda 894,562 children compare
  2. 5 South Africa 625,113 children compare
  3. 6 Kenya 571,316 children compare
  4. 8 Zimbabwe 505,492 children compare
  5. 9 Cameroon 412,664 children compare
  6. 10 Malawi 360,752 children compare

See the full ranking of 139 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is children orphaned due to aids deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Children orphaned due to aids deaths in Democratic Republic of Congo was 511,169 children in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 696,475 children in 2013.
What is the lowest children orphaned due to aids deaths recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 84,009 children in 1990.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for children orphaned due to aids deaths?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 139 countries with data for 2024.
Is children orphaned due to aids deaths rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Children orphaned due to AIDS deaths
Unit
children
Source
Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
139 places, 4,809 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed

Number of children, aged 17 and under, who have been orphaned by the death of one or both parents from AIDS at any point in their lives. This is the central estimate.