Number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of people treated for river blindness was 44.32 million People in 2024. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2024)
44.32 million People
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
1st
of 33 countries
All-time high
44.59 million People
in 2023
All-time low
0 People
in 2020
Years of data
20
2005–2024

Number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2005–2024

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M2005201420242005: 4.9M People2006: 8.3M People2007: 9.3M People2008: 9.5M People2009: 17.7M People2010: 20.3M People2011: 22.4M People2012: 23.1M People2013: 24.5M People2014: 26.0M People2015: 29.8M People2016: 31.4M People2017: 35.7M People2018: 39.8M People2019: 39.8M People2020: 0 People2021: 41.7M People2022: 44.0M People2023: 44.6M People2024: 44.3M People

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in People.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo is 44.32 million People, measured in 2024.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and up 70.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 44.59 million People in 2023 and was at its lowest, 0 People, in 2020.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 1st out of 33 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 9.95 million People 4.88 million People 17.70 million People 5
2010s 29.28 million People 20.29 million People 39.81 million People 10
2020s 34.92 million People 0 People 44.59 million People 5

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 2 Nigeria 24.29 million People compare
  2. 3 Ethiopia 20.33 million People compare
  3. 4 Cote d'Ivoire 17.96 million People compare

See the full ranking of 33 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Number of people treated for river blindness in Democratic Republic of Congo was 44.32 million People in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of people treated for river blindness recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 44.59 million People in 2023.
What is the lowest number of people treated for river blindness recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 0 People in 2020.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of people treated for river blindness?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 1st out of 33 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of people treated for river blindness rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 70.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of people treated for river blindness. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 20 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of people treated for river blindness
Unit
People
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
33 places, 538 data points, 2005–2024
Last refreshed

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