Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Share of population living in urban and rural areas was 72.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the is 72.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 72.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.9%, in 1950.
That places Congo, Democratic Republic of the 127th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.
Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.9% | — |
| 1955 | 47.6% | +3.7% |
| 1960 | 49.5% | +4.1% |
| 1965 | 52.0% | +5.1% |
| 1970 | 54.9% | +5.5% |
| 1975 | 57.5% | +4.7% |
| 1980 | 57.7% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 58.5% | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 59.9% | +2.5% |
| 1995 | 62.8% | +4.9% |
| 2000 | 64.9% | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 66.8% | +2.8% |
| 2010 | 68.9% | +3.2% |
| 2015 | 71.3% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 72.9% | +2.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.7% | 45.9% | 47.6% | 2 |
| 1960s | 50.8% | 49.5% | 52.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 56.2% | 54.9% | 57.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 58.1% | 57.7% | 58.5% | 2 |
| 1990s | 61.4% | 59.9% | 62.8% | 2 |
| 2000s | 65.9% | 64.9% | 66.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 70.1% | 68.9% | 71.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 72.9% | 72.9% | 72.9% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the
More reference data data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 3,062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 235.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0.2179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 380.5 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Share of population living in urban and rural areas in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 72.9% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The highest recorded value was 72.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban and rural areas recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.9% in 1950.
- How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for share of population living in urban and rural areas?
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 127th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban and rural areas rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.