Share of population living in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of population living in urban areas was 72.9% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of population living in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 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 areas in Democratic Republic of Congo is 72.9%, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 15 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 72.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 45.9%, in 1950.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 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.
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 Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
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- Summer temperature anomalies 0.8778 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.05 °C (2026)
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- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.17 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.6722 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 133.85 2010 = 100 (2016)
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- Competitive elections 0 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population living in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of population living in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo 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 areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 72.9% in 2020.
- What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 45.9% in 1950.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of population living in urban areas?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 127th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
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.