Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 20.0% in 2020. ◆ Volatile
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2020
Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 20.0%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 17.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 20.0% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 73rd of 180 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 0.0% | — |
| 1955 | 0.0% | — |
| 1960 | 0.0% | — |
| 1965 | 0.0% | — |
| 1970 | 0.0% | — |
| 1975 | 4.5% | — |
| 1980 | 9.7% | +115.1% |
| 1985 | 11.0% | +14.0% |
| 1990 | 12.1% | +10.0% |
| 1995 | 13.4% | +10.8% |
| 2000 | 16.3% | +21.5% |
| 2005 | 17.3% | +5.8% |
| 2010 | 17.1% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 17.7% | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 20.0% | +13.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 20.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 12.2%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 20.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 12.2%, 1.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1960s | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 2 |
| 1970s | 2.2% | 0.0% | 4.5% | 2 |
| 1980s | 10.4% | 9.7% | 11.0% | 2 |
| 1990s | 12.8% | 12.1% | 13.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 16.8% | 16.3% | 17.3% | 2 |
| 2010s | 17.4% | 17.1% | 17.7% | 2 |
| 2020s | 20.0% | 20.0% | 20.0% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (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 (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 140.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Democratic Republic of Congo was 20.0% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 20.0% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 73rd out of 180 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Percentage of the total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.