Urban area over the long-term in Congo

Congo: Urban area over the long-term was 495.9 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
495.9 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 1.3%
World rank
125th
of 202 countries
All-time high
495.9 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
0.0003 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Urban area over the long-term in Congo, 1000–2025

0100200300400500100015122025

Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.

Analysis

In 2025, urban area over the long-term in Congo stood at 495.9 km² per grid cell. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.3% on the previous year and up 19.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in Congo peaked at 495.9 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0003 km² per grid cell, in 1000.

That places Congo 125th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0003 km² per grid cell 0.0003 km² per grid cell 0.0003 km² per grid cell 1
1100s 0.0009 km² per grid cell 0.0009 km² per grid cell 0.0009 km² per grid cell 1
1200s 0.0029 km² per grid cell 0.0029 km² per grid cell 0.0029 km² per grid cell 1
1300s 0.0101 km² per grid cell 0.0101 km² per grid cell 0.0101 km² per grid cell 1
1400s 0.0346 km² per grid cell 0.0346 km² per grid cell 0.0346 km² per grid cell 1
1500s 0.1186 km² per grid cell 0.1186 km² per grid cell 0.1186 km² per grid cell 1
1600s 0.4067 km² per grid cell 0.4067 km² per grid cell 0.4067 km² per grid cell 1
1700s 1.39 km² per grid cell 1.39 km² per grid cell 1.39 km² per grid cell 1
1710s 1.42 km² per grid cell 1.42 km² per grid cell 1.42 km² per grid cell 1
1720s 1.68 km² per grid cell 1.68 km² per grid cell 1.68 km² per grid cell 1
1730s 1.98 km² per grid cell 1.98 km² per grid cell 1.98 km² per grid cell 1
1740s 2.34 km² per grid cell 2.34 km² per grid cell 2.34 km² per grid cell 1
1750s 2.75 km² per grid cell 2.75 km² per grid cell 2.75 km² per grid cell 1
1760s 3.24 km² per grid cell 3.24 km² per grid cell 3.24 km² per grid cell 1
1770s 3.81 km² per grid cell 3.81 km² per grid cell 3.81 km² per grid cell 1
1780s 4.47 km² per grid cell 4.47 km² per grid cell 4.47 km² per grid cell 1
1790s 5.25 km² per grid cell 5.25 km² per grid cell 5.25 km² per grid cell 1
1800s 6.15 km² per grid cell 6.15 km² per grid cell 6.15 km² per grid cell 1
1810s 7.21 km² per grid cell 7.21 km² per grid cell 7.21 km² per grid cell 1
1820s 8.45 km² per grid cell 8.45 km² per grid cell 8.45 km² per grid cell 1
1830s 9.89 km² per grid cell 9.89 km² per grid cell 9.89 km² per grid cell 1
1840s 11.57 km² per grid cell 11.57 km² per grid cell 11.57 km² per grid cell 1
1850s 13.53 km² per grid cell 13.53 km² per grid cell 13.53 km² per grid cell 1
1860s 15.46 km² per grid cell 15.46 km² per grid cell 15.46 km² per grid cell 1
1870s 18.76 km² per grid cell 18.76 km² per grid cell 18.76 km² per grid cell 1
1880s 23.22 km² per grid cell 23.22 km² per grid cell 23.22 km² per grid cell 1
1890s 28.45 km² per grid cell 28.45 km² per grid cell 28.45 km² per grid cell 1
1900s 30.88 km² per grid cell 30.88 km² per grid cell 30.88 km² per grid cell 1
1910s 31.67 km² per grid cell 31.67 km² per grid cell 31.67 km² per grid cell 1
1920s 32.9 km² per grid cell 32.9 km² per grid cell 32.9 km² per grid cell 1
1930s 39.07 km² per grid cell 39.07 km² per grid cell 39.07 km² per grid cell 1
1940s 40.63 km² per grid cell 40.63 km² per grid cell 40.63 km² per grid cell 1
1950s 42.97 km² per grid cell 40.63 km² per grid cell 46.36 km² per grid cell 10
1960s 54.08 km² per grid cell 47.4 km² per grid cell 62.54 km² per grid cell 10
1970s 82.4 km² per grid cell 65.08 km² per grid cell 103.13 km² per grid cell 10
1980s 136.6 km² per grid cell 108.87 km² per grid cell 164.9 km² per grid cell 10
1990s 204.07 km² per grid cell 171.91 km² per grid cell 233.13 km² per grid cell 10
2000s 282.9 km² per grid cell 238.38 km² per grid cell 336.2 km² per grid cell 10
2010s 403.66 km² per grid cell 349.77 km² per grid cell 446.32 km² per grid cell 10
2020s 477.6 km² per grid cell 454.58 km² per grid cell 495.9 km² per grid cell 6

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 122 Western Sahara 526.56 km² per grid cell compare
  2. 123 Nicaragua 500.71 km² per grid cell compare
  3. 124 Qatar 499.79 km² per grid cell compare
  4. 126 Sri Lanka 481.3 km² per grid cell compare
  5. 127 Madagascar 464.32 km² per grid cell compare
  6. 128 Tajikistan 463.97 km² per grid cell compare

See the full ranking of 202 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is urban area over the long-term in Congo?
Urban area over the long-term in Congo was 495.9 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in Congo?
The highest recorded value was 495.9 km² per grid cell in 2025.
What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0003 km² per grid cell in 1000.
How does Congo rank for urban area over the long-term?
Congo ranks 125th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 19.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Congo data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Urban area over the long-term
Unit
km² per grid cell
Source
HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
202 places, 21,816 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Total built-up area of a country over time.