Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Congo

Congo: Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents was 82.7% in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
82.7%
World rank
4th
of 180 countries
All-time high
82.7%
in 2020
All-time low
0.0%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Congo, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 0 %1955: 0 %1960: 0 %1965: 0 %1970: 0 %1975: 0 %1980: 0 %1985: 0 %1990: 42.9 %1995: 40.9 %2000: 40.4 %2005: 40.3 %2010: 43.9 %2015: 73 %2020: 82.7 %

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 Congo stood at 82.7%. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.

The figure is up 88.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Congo peaked at 82.7% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1950.

Congo ranks 4th of 180 countries on this measure, 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
1950s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1960s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1970s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 2
1990s 41.9% 40.9% 42.9% 2
2000s 40.4% 40.3% 40.4% 2
2010s 58.5% 43.9% 73.0% 2
2020s 82.7% 82.7% 82.7% 1

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 1 Bahrain 89.4% compare
  2. 2 Singapore 84.8% compare
  3. 3 Kuwait 84.0% compare
  4. 5 Hong Kong 78.4% compare
  5. 6 Qatar 70.7% compare
  6. 7 Taiwan 62.6% compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Congo?
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents in Congo was 82.7% 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 Congo?
The highest recorded value was 82.7% in 2020.
What is the lowest share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1950.
How does Congo rank for share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
Congo ranks 4th 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 Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 88.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this 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.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 2,505 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

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.