Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo

Congo: Number of people treated for river blindness was 772,264 People in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)
772,264 People
Change on year
up 182.8%
World rank
20th
of 33 countries
All-time high
772,264 People
in 2024
All-time low
232,499 People
in 2020
Years of data
20
2005–2024

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

200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2005201420242005: 406.0k People2006: 417.0k People2007: 449.2k People2008: 478.7k People2009: 617.2k People2010: 651.9k People2011: 686.1k People2012: 689.1k People2013: 688.1k People2014: 571.8k People2015: 402.6k People2016: 473.3k People2017: 509.1k People2018: 548.7k People2019: 581.9k People2020: 232.5k People2021: 521.6k People2022: 582.0k People2023: 273.1k People2024: 772.3k 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 Congo is 772,264 People, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 20 years on record.

The figure is up 182.8% on the previous year and up 35.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people treated for river blindness in Congo peaked at 772,264 People in 2024 and was at its lowest, 232,499 People, in 2020.

Congo ranks 20th of 33 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo, year by year

Annual values for Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo, 2005 to 2024.
Year People Change
2005 406,031 People
2006 416,963 People +2.7%
2007 449,171 People +7.7%
2008 478,692 People +6.6%
2009 617,167 People +28.9%
2010 651,922 People +5.6%
2011 686,127 People +5.2%
2012 689,138 People +0.4%
2013 688,131 People -0.1%
2014 571,752 People -16.9%
2015 402,635 People -29.6%
2016 473,321 People +17.6%
2017 509,072 People +7.6%
2018 548,687 People +7.8%
2019 581,904 People +6.1%
2020 232,499 People -60.0%
2021 521,584 People +124.3%
2022 581,959 People +11.6%
2023 273,102 People -53.1%
2024 772,264 People +182.8%

Congo compared with similar countries

  • Congo's 772,264 People is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.58 million People, 17% of the median. (12 countries reporting)
  • Congo's 772,264 People is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 3.06 million People, 25% of the median. (27 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
2024 +182.8% 273,102 People 772,264 People
2021 +124.3% 232,499 People 521,584 People
2020 -60.0% 581,904 People 232,499 People
2023 -53.1% 581,959 People 273,102 People

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 473,605 People 406,031 People 617,167 People 5
2010s 580,269 People 402,635 People 689,138 People 10
2020s 476,282 People 232,499 People 772,264 People 5

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 17 Malawi 1.66 million People compare
  2. 18 Central African Republic 1.66 million People compare
  3. 19 Yemen 1.29 million People compare
  4. 21 Uganda 596,500 People compare
  5. 22 Guinea-Bissau 443,616 People compare
  6. 23 Sierra Leone 414,286 People compare

See the full ranking of 33 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people treated for river blindness in Congo?
Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo was 772,264 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 Congo?
The highest recorded value was 772,264 People in 2024.
What is the lowest number of people treated for river blindness recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 232,499 People in 2020.
How does Congo rank for number of people treated for river blindness?
Congo ranks 20th out of 33 countries with data for 2024.
Is number of people treated for river blindness rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/people-treated-for-river-blindness/congo-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/people-treated-for-river-blindness/congo-rep/">Number of people treated for river blindness in Congo</a> — Statizoid

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

Reported number of people treated with ivermectin for river blindness.