Page last modified 21 August 2023
65) Congo (Democratic Republic)
Community
Area 2,344,858 square kilometres (land area 2,267,048 square kilometres)
Population,
30,000,000 (1885)
8,000,000 (1905)*
10,400,000 (1945)
13,570,000 (1950)
15,250,000 (1960) +12.4%
20,000,000 (1970) +31,1%
26,400,000 (1980) +32.0%
34,600,000 (1990) +31.1%
47,100,000 (2000) +36.1%
64,500,000 (2010) +36,9%
89,561,000 (2020) +38.9%
*Major population decline after
misrule by King Leopold of Belgium
Religion, %
|
|
Animist |
Christian African |
Christian Protestant |
Christian R C |
Muslim |
|
1970 |
|
15.0 |
25.0 |
42.0 |
0.1 |
|
1990 |
6.0 |
17.0 |
28.0 |
48.0 |
|
|
2010 |
10.0 |
10.0 |
20.0 |
50.0 |
10.0 |
Birth and death rates Below replacement rate = 2.1
|
|
Fertility Rate |
Birth Rate |
Infant Mortality |
Death Rate |
% Aged Under 15 |
% Aged Over 65 |
% Urban |
|
1952 |
|
47.0 (+21.0) |
182.0 |
26.0 |
43.7 |
3.8 |
7.5 |
|
1962 |
6.0 |
47.0 (+24.6) |
|
22.4 |
43.5 |
2.9 |
22.7 |
|
1972 |
6.3 |
47.0 (+27.1) |
145.0 |
19.9 |
44.2 |
2.9 |
25.1 |
|
1980 |
6.6 |
48.0 (+29.4) |
126.0 |
18.6 |
44.6 |
2.9 |
27.1 |
|
1990 |
7.1 |
50.0 (+33.3) |
118.0 |
16.7 |
45.1 |
2.9 |
30.6 |
|
2000 |
6.9 |
49.0 (+33.0) |
107.0 |
16.0 |
45.5 |
3.0 |
35.1 |
|
2010 |
6.5 |
43.0 (+31.4) |
84.5 |
11.6 |
46.1 |
3.0 |
39.9 |
|
2015 |
6.2 |
42.8 (+32.7) |
74.0 |
10.1 |
46.3 |
3.0 |
42.5 |
|
2017 |
6.0 |
41.7 (+32.0) |
70.0 |
9.7 |
|
|
|
|
2018 |
|
|
68.2 |
|
46.2 |
3.0 |
44.4 |
Life expectancy,
38.8 (1950); 37.6 (M), 40.0 (F)
41.0 (1960); 39.6 (M), 42.5 (F)
43.8 (1970); 42.4 (M), 45.3 (F)
46.3 (1980); 44.9 (M), 47.8 (F)
49.0 (1990); 47.6 (M), 50.5 (F)
50.0 (2000); 48.6 (M), 51.5 (F)
56.7 (2010); 55.5 (M), 58.3 (F)
60.8 (2020); 59.2 (M), 62.3 (F)
Population of principal cities, 1,000s
|
|
Kinshasa1 (Leopoldville) |
Kisangani2 (Stanleyville) |
Lubumbashi (Elizabethville) |
Mbuji Mayi (Bakwanga) |
|
1889 |
5 |
|
|
|
|
1926 |
19 |
|
|
|
|
1938 |
36 |
|
17 |
|
|
1946 |
125 |
|
|
|
|
1950 |
209 |
|
103 |
|
|
1960 |
417 |
155 |
190 |
|
|
1970 |
1,323 |
|
266 |
|
|
1974 |
2,008 |
|
|
|
|
1984 |
2,654 |
283 |
543 |
423 |
|
1994 |
4,655 |
418 |
851 |
806 |
|
2004 |
7,274 |
683 |
1,283 |
1,214 |
|
2009 |
7,843 |
812 |
|
|
|
2011 |
8,401 |
|
1,543 |
1,488 |
|
2015 |
|
1,602 |
1,794 |
3,368 |
|
2017 |
11,885 |
|
|
|
1Kinshasa was a settlement of the Humbu nation long before the explorer H M Stanley reached it in 1887.� It became the capital city in 1926, replacing Boma.
2The Kisangani
region was explored by H M Stanley in 1877, and a trading post was established
at Kisangani in 1882; however this post was frequently attacked by Arab slave
traders.� The present city was founded in
1898.�
Wealth The Congo has considerable mineral resources, but decades of civil war, corruption, and under-development have impoverished the country.
Wealth; Gross Domestic Product (nominal values)
|
|
GDP, US$ million |
Total GDP, % of USA |
GDP per capita, US$ |
GDP per capita % of USA |
|
1948 |
380 |
0.17 |
35 |
2.30 |
|
1960 |
3,359 |
0.62 |
220 |
7.32 |
|
1965 |
4,043 |
0.54 |
233 |
6.09 |
|
1970 |
4,877 |
0.47 |
244 |
4.65 |
|
1975 |
10,237 |
0.63 |
447 |
5.72 |
|
1980 |
15,470 |
0.55 |
560 |
4.45 |
|
1985 |
7,200 |
0.17 |
222 |
1.22 |
|
1990 |
8,550 |
0.15 |
245 |
1.02 |
|
1995 |
6,740 |
0.09 |
126 |
0.42 |
|
2000 |
7,500 |
0.08 |
405 |
1.11 |
|
2005 |
11,964 |
0.09 |
218 |
0.49 |
|
2010 |
20,523 |
0.14 |
318 |
0.66 |
|
2015 |
36,200 |
0.20 |
475 |
0.85 |
|
2016 |
35,000 |
0.19 |
445 |
0.77 |
GDP by primary sector
|
|
Agriculture % GDP |
Agriculture % employed |
Industry % GDP |
Industry % employed |
Services % GDP |
Services % employed |
|
1960 |
|
83.0 |
|
9.0 |
|
8.0 |
|
1970 |
|
79.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
1980 |
83.0 |
75.0 |
4.4 |
13.0 |
|
12.0 |
|
1990 |
|
71.0 |
|
16.0 |
|
18.0 |
|
2000 |
60.0 |
|
10.0 |
|
30.0 |
|
|
2010 |
37.5 |
|
27.6 |
|
35.0 |
|
|
2016 |
21.1 |
|
37.2 |
|
46.3 |
|
Communications
Language Official = French.� Kikongo, Kiswahili, Lingala, and Tshiluba also spoken
66.0% Bantu (1970)
Literacy
31.0% (1960)
40.,0% (1970)
55.0% (1980); 73.6% (M), 36.7% (F)
62.0% (1985); 79.0% (M), 45.0% (F)
65.3% (2003); 79.8% (M), 51.9% (F)
77.0% (2016); 88.5% (M), 66.5% (F)
Physical communications � roads and railways, First railway opened 1898; developed to assist exploitation of the copper deposits in the Katanga region. Civil war in 1996-7 took much track out of use.
|
|
Roads (km) |
Surfaced (km) |
Motor vehicles |
Cars |
Commercial Vehicles |
Railways (km) |
% electric |
|
1945 |
90,586 |
|
|
35,000 |
21,850 |
5,000 |
|
|
1958 |
145,213 |
|
|
|
|
5,175 |
|
|
1962 |
147,000 |
|
|
40,000 |
25,000 |
|
|
|
1964 |
|
|
74,700 |
|
|
|
|
|
1975 |
150,000 |
|
|
96,000 |
36,500 |
|
|
|
1986 |
|
2,500 |
175,200 |
90,000 |
87,000 |
5,100 |
16.8 |
|
2003 |
|
|
|
149,000 |
135,000 |
|
|
|
2004 |
153,497 |
2,794 |
|
|
|
4,500 |
19.1 |
|
2008 |
|
|
1,622,000 |
|
|
4,007 |
21.4 |
|
2013 |
|
|
1,760,000 |
|
|
4,007 |
21.4 |
Electronic communications, TV broadcasts began 1966
|
|
Telephones (landlines) |
Mobile Telephones |
Radios |
Televisions |
PCs |
Internet Users |
|
1943 |
2,466 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1950 |
|
|
6,000 |
|
|
|
|
1960 |
|
|
35,000 |
|
|
|
|
1980 |
26,600 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1983 |
|
|
500,000 |
12,000 |
|
|
|
1987 |
|
|
3,400,000 |
|
|
|
|
1990 |
34,000 |
|
7,735,000 |
2,020,000 |
|
|
|
1995 |
|
8,500 |
14,100,000 |
5,050,000 |
|
|
|
1997 |
|
|
|
6,480,000 |
|
|
|
1998 |
|
|
|
|
|
100 |
|
2000 |
|
15,000 |
18,700,000 |
|
|
2,000 |
|
2005 |
|
2,746,500 |
|
|
|
140,000 |
|
2010 |
42,000 |
11,355,000 |
|
|
|
700,000 |
|
2013 |
|
|
|
|
|
1,240,000 |
|
2016 |
30,000 |
37,753,000 |
|
|
|
3,016,000 |
|
2017 |
|
|
|
|
|
5,107,000 |
Tourism: Visitors to the Congo (Democratic Republic),
63,000 (1971)
40,948 (1975)
36,167 (1987)
33,000 (1990)
35,000 (1995)
103,000 (2000)
61,000 (2005)
81,000 (2010)
191,000 (2013)