# Demographics of the Republic of the Congo

Demographic features of the population of the Republic of the Congo include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The Republic of the Congo's sparse population is concentrated in the southwestern portion of the country, leaving the vast areas of tropical jungle in the north virtually uninhabited. Thus, Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with 85% of its total population living in a few urban areas, namely in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or one of the small cities or villages lining the 534-kilometre (332 mi) railway which connects the two cities. In rural areas, industrial and commercial activity has declined rapidly in recent years, leaving rural economies dependent on the government for support and subsistence. Before the 1997 war, about 15,000 Europeans and other non-Africans lived in Congo, most of whom were French. Presently, only about 9,500 remain. Pygmies make up 2% of Congo's population.

## Population

According to the 2022 revision of the World Population Prospects the total population was 5,835,806 in 2021, compared to only 808 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.7% was 65 years or older.
| | Total population | Population aged 0–14 (%) | Population aged 15–64 (%) | Population aged 65+ (%) |
| 1950 | 808 000 | 40.1 | 56.4 | 3.5 |
| 1955 | 899 000 | 40.5 | 55.9 | 3.6 |
| 1960 | 1 014 000 | 41.4 | 55.0 | 3.7 |
| 1965 | 1 158 000 | 42.5 | 53.7 | 3.8 |
| 1970 | 1 335 000 | 43.5 | 52.7 | 3.8 |
| 1975 | 1 555 000 | 44.2 | 52.0 | 3.8 |
| 1980 | 1 798 000 | 44.8 | 51.4 | 3.8 |
| 1985 | 2 081 000 | 44.6 | 51.7 | 3.7 |
| 1990 | 2 389 000 | 43.7 | 52.5 | 3.7 |
| 1995 | 2 733 000 | 42.5 | 53.7 | 3.7 |
| 2000 | 3 136 000 | 41.5 | 54.7 | 3.7 |
| 2005 | 3 533 000 | 41.3 | 55.0 | 3.7 |
| 2010 | 4 043 000 | 40.6 | 55.7 | 3.7 |
Population estimates by sex and age group (01.VII.2009):
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 1 891 558 | 1 946 680 | 3 838 238 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 294 305 | 292 273 | 586 578 | 15.28 |
| 5–9 | 238 682 | 237 182 | 475 864 | 12.40 |
| 10–14 | 208 162 | 208 912 | 417 074 | 10.87 |
| 15–19 | 186 405 | 196 268 | 382 673 | 9.97 |
| 20–24 | 167 519 | 191 226 | 358 745 | 9.35 |
| 25–29 | 160 897 | 178 236 | 339 133 | 8.84 |
| 30–34 | 152 642 | 151 367 | 304 009 | 7.92 |
| 35–39 | 131 794 | 123 203 | 254 997 | 6.64 |
| 40–44 | 103 248 | 95 346 | 198 594 | 5.17 |
| 45–49 | 76 921 | 71 877 | 148 798 | 3.88 |
| 50–54 | 54 925 | 56 887 | 111 812 | 2.91 |
| 55–59 | 38 051 | 42 791 | 80 842 | 2.11 |
| 60–64 | 27 592 | 32 009 | 59 601 | 1.55 |
| 65-69 | 20 879 | 25 827 | 46 706 | 1.22 |
| 70-74 | 14 954 | 20 007 | 34 961 | 0.91 |
| 75-79 | 8 820 | 13 048 | 21 868 | 0.57 |
| 80+ | 5 762 | 10 221 | 15 983 | 0.42 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 741 149 | 738 367 | 1 479 516 | 38.55 |
| 15–64 | 1 099 994 | 1 139 210 | 2 239 204 | 58.34 |
| 65+ | 50 415 | 69 103 | 119 518 | 3.11 |
Population estimates by sex and age group (01.VII.2020):
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | % |
| Total | 2 693 804 | 2 774 818 | 5 468 622 | 100 |
| 0–4 | 411 671 | 412 877 | 824 548 | 15.08 |
| 5–9 | 340 319 | 337 291 | 677 610 | 12.39 |
| 10–14 | 303 346 | 306 542 | 609 889 | 11.15 |
| 15–19 | 271 095 | 289 989 | 561 084 | 10.26 |
| 20–24 | 243 060 | 282 727 | 525 788 | 9.61 |
| 25–29 | 241 223 | 253 353 | 494 576 | 9.04 |
| 30–34 | 218 257 | 209 888 | 428 145 | 7.83 |
| 35–39 | 183 437 | 169 496 | 352 933 | 6.45 |
| 40–44 | 138 775 | 128 121 | 266 896 | 4.88 |
| 45–49 | 104 065 | 98 609 | 202 673 | 3.71 |
| 50–54 | 72 724 | 79 083 | 151 807 | 2.78 |
| 55–59 | 52 219 | 57 918 | 110 137 | 2.01 |
| 60–64 | 39 423 | 46 323 | 85 746 | 1.57 |
| 65-69 | 30 885 | 38 323 | 69 207 | 1.27 |
| 70-74 | 21 747 | 29 537 | 51 285 | 0.94 |
| 75-79 | 12 425 | 18 699 | 31 124 | 0.57 |
| 80-84 | 5 168 | 9 115 | 14 283 | 0.26 |
| 85+ | 3 964 | 6 928 | 10 891 | 0.20 |
| Age group | Male | Female | Total | Percent |
| 0–14 | 1 055 336 | 1 056 710 | 2 112 046 | 38.62 |
| 15–64 | 1 564 279 | 1 615 506 | 3 179 785 | 58.15 |
| 65+ | 74 189 | 102 602 | 176 791 | 3.23 |

## Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in the Republic of the Congo is incomplete. The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates.
| Period | Population (thousands) | Live births (thousands) | Deaths (thousands) | Natural change (thousands) | CBR | CDR | NC | TFR | IMR | Life expectancy (years) |
| 1950 | 835 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 44.9 | 23.6 | 21.3 | 6.07 | 154.5 | 40.06 |
| 1951 | 853 | 38 | 20 | 18 | 44.8 | 23.2 | 21.6 | 6.07 | 151.2 | 40.65 |
| 1952 | 872 | 39 | 20 | 19 | 44.6 | 22.6 | 22.0 | 6.06 | 147.6 | 41.36 |
| 1953 | 892 | 40 | 20 | 20 | 44.5 | 22.0 | 22.5 | 6.06 | 143.7 | 42.16 |
| 1954 | 912 | 40 | 20 | 21 | 44.3 | 21.5 | 22.8 | 6.05 | 139.6 | 42.85 |
| 1955 | 933 | 41 | 19 | 22 | 44.2 | 20.8 | 23.3 | 6.07 | 135.3 | 43.65 |
| 1956 | 956 | 42 | 19 | 23 | 44.0 | 20.1 | 23.9 | 6.07 | 130.9 | 44.56 |
| 1957 | 979 | 43 | 19 | 24 | 43.8 | 19.5 | 24.4 | 6.07 | 126.4 | 45.43 |
| 1958 | 1 003 | 44 | 19 | 25 | 43.8 | 18.9 | 24.9 | 6.09 | 122.0 | 46.29 |
| 1959 | 1 029 | 45 | 19 | 26 | 43.6 | 18.2 | 25.4 | 6.09 | 117.7 | 47.12 |
| 1960 | 1 056 | 46 | 19 | 27 | 43.4 | 17.6 | 25.7 | 6.09 | 113.6 | 47.98 |
| 1961 | 1 083 | 47 | 19 | 28 | 43.2 | 17.1 | 26.1 | 6.09 | 109.9 | 48.70 |
| 1962 | 1 112 | 48 | 18 | 30 | 43.1 | 16.5 | 26.5 | 6.10 | 106.4 | 49.50 |
| 1963 | 1 143 | 49 | 18 | 31 | 43.2 | 16.1 | 27.1 | 6.15 | 103.2 | 50.12 |
| 1964 | 1 174 | 51 | 18 | 32 | 43.3 | 15.7 | 27.6 | 6.18 | 100.2 | 50.70 |
| 1965 | 1 207 | 52 | 19 | 34 | 43.5 | 15.4 | 28.1 | 6.23 | 97.4 | 51.20 |
| 1966 | 1 242 | 54 | 19 | 35 | 43.6 | 15.0 | 28.6 | 6.27 | 94.6 | 51.77 |
| 1967 | 1 278 | 56 | 19 | 37 | 43.6 | 14.8 | 28.9 | 6.29 | 92.3 | 52.10 |
| 1968 | 1 316 | 58 | 19 | 39 | 43.8 | 14.4 | 29.4 | 6.33 | 89.7 | 52.72 |
| 1969 | 1 356 | 59 | 19 | 40 | 43.9 | 14.1 | 29.8 | 6.35 | 87.4 | 53.20 |
| 1970 | 1 397 | 61 | 19 | 42 | 44.0 | 13.8 | 30.2 | 6.38 | 85.3 | 53.63 |
| 1971 | 1 440 | 64 | 19 | 44 | 44.2 | 13.5 | 30.7 | 6.42 | 83.3 | 54.04 |
| 1972 | 1 485 | 66 | 20 | 46 | 44.3 | 13.3 | 31.0 | 6.44 | 81.4 | 54.36 |
| 1973 | 1 532 | 68 | 20 | 48 | 44.1 | 13.0 | 31.0 | 6.42 | 79.6 | 54.70 |
| 1974 | 1 580 | 69 | 20 | 49 | 43.9 | 12.8 | 31.1 | 6.39 | 78.0 | 55.06 |
| 1975 | 1 625 | 71 | 20 | 51 | 43.7 | 12.6 | 31.1 | 6.36 | 76.4 | 55.32 |
| 1976 | 1 665 | 72 | 21 | 52 | 43.3 | 12.3 | 30.9 | 6.32 | 74.9 | 55.60 |
| 1977 | 1 706 | 73 | 21 | 53 | 42.9 | 12.2 | 30.7 | 6.27 | 73.5 | 55.81 |
| 1978 | 1 747 | 74 | 21 | 53 | 42.4 | 11.9 | 30.5 | 6.21 | 72.1 | 56.07 |
| 1979 | 1 788 | 75 | 21 | 54 | 41.9 | 11.7 | 30.2 | 6.14 | 70.6 | 56.31 |
| 1980 | 1 829 | 76 | 21 | 55 | 41.5 | 11.5 | 30.0 | 6.07 | 69.3 | 56.59 |
| 1981 | 1 871 | 77 | 21 | 56 | 41.2 | 11.2 | 29.9 | 5.98 | 67.9 | 56.83 |
| 1982 | 1 912 | 79 | 21 | 57 | 40.9 | 11.1 | 29.9 | 5.90 | 66.5 | 57.02 |
| 1983 | 1 952 | 80 | 21 | 59 | 40.8 | 10.9 | 29.9 | 5.81 | 65.1 | 57.23 |
| 1984 | 2 002 | 81 | 21 | 60 | 40.6 | 10.6 | 30.0 | 5.73 | 63.7 | 57.45 |
| 1985 | 2 063 | 83 | 22 | 61 | 40.3 | 10.6 | 29.7 | 5.65 | 62.3 | 57.52 |
| 1986 | 2 125 | 85 | 22 | 63 | 40.0 | 10.5 | 29.5 | 5.57 | 61.2 | 57.55 |
| 1987 | 2 189 | 87 | 23 | 64 | 39.8 | 10.5 | 29.2 | 5.49 | 60.4 | 57.43 |
| 1988 | 2 253 | 89 | 24 | 65 | 39.5 | 10.7 | 28.8 | 5.40 | 60.0 | 57.01 |
| 1989 | 2 319 | 91 | 25 | 66 | 39.2 | 10.9 | 28.3 | 5.31 | 60.0 | 56.51 |
| 1990 | 2 385 | 93 | 27 | 66 | 38.8 | 11.1 | 27.7 | 5.21 | 60.5 | 55.93 |
| 1991 | 2 453 | 95 | 28 | 67 | 38.7 | 11.5 | 27.2 | 5.16 | 61.4 | 55.24 |
| 1992 | 2 521 | 97 | 30 | 68 | 38.6 | 11.7 | 26.9 | 5.11 | 62.7 | 54.66 |
| 1993 | 2 594 | 100 | 31 | 68 | 38.4 | 12.0 | 26.4 | 5.06 | 64.4 | 54.15 |
| 1994 | 2 669 | 102 | 33 | 70 | 38.3 | 12.2 | 26.1 | 5.00 | 66.1 | 53.74 |
| 1995 | 2 742 | 105 | 34 | 71 | 38.2 | 12.3 | 25.9 | 4.97 | 68.1 | 53.64 |
| 1996 | 2 817 | 108 | 35 | 73 | 38.2 | 12.4 | 25.8 | 4.97 | 70.0 | 53.49 |
| 1997 | 2 875 | 110 | 47 | 64 | 38.3 | 16.2 | 22.1 | 4.96 | 75.1 | 47.19 |
| 1998 | 2 937 | 111 | 41 | 71 | 38.0 | 13.8 | 24.1 | 4.93 | 75.1 | 50.89 |
| 1999 | 3 017 | 114 | 38 | 75 | 37.7 | 12.7 | 25.0 | 4.85 | 74.0 | 52.76 |
| 2000 | 3 134 | 115 | 38 | 77 | 37.2 | 12.2 | 25.0 | 4.76 | 73.1 | 53.68 |
| 2001 | 3 254 | 122 | 39 | 84 | 37.6 | 11.8 | 25.8 | 4.71 | 71.4 | 54.40 |
| 2002 | 3 331 | 125 | 38 | 87 | 37.5 | 11.5 | 26.1 | 4.72 | 68.8 | 55.09 |
| 2003 | 3 425 | 127 | 37 | 90 | 37.3 | 11.0 | 26.3 | 4.70 | 65.6 | 55.95 |
| 2004 | 3 543 | 132 | 37 | 95 | 37.4 | 10.4 | 27.0 | 4.69 | 61.7 | 56.99 |
| 2005 | 3 673 | 137 | 36 | 101 | 37.4 | 9.8 | 27.5 | 4.66 | 57.8 | 58.13 |
| 2006 | 3 813 | 142 | 36 | 107 | 37.5 | 9.4 | 28.1 | 4.66 | 54.0 | 58.88 |
| 2007 | 3 956 | 148 | 36 | 113 | 37.7 | 9.1 | 28.6 | 4.67 | 50.7 | 59.64 |
| 2008 | 4 090 | 156 | 36 | 121 | 38.2 | 8.7 | 29.5 | 4.73 | 47.7 | 60.43 |
| 2009 | 4 257 | 162 | 35 | 127 | 38.4 | 8.4 | 30.0 | 4.79 | 45.3 | 61.09 |
| 2010 | 4 438 | 172 | 36 | 136 | 38.9 | 8.1 | 30.7 | 4.82 | 43.6 | 61.68 |
| 2011 | 4 584 | 175 | 36 | 139 | 38.2 | 7.9 | 30.3 | 4.79 | 42.1 | 61.99 |
| 2012 | 4 713 | 177 | 37 | 141 | 37.5 | 7.8 | 29.8 | 4.75 | 41.0 | 62.32 |
| 2013 | 4 828 | 177 | 36 | 140 | 36.5 | 7.5 | 29.0 | 4.69 | 40.0 | 62.70 |
| 2014 | 4 945 | 176 | 36 | 140 | 35.5 | 7.4 | 28.2 | 4.63 | 38.7 | 62.95 |
| 2015 | 5 064 | 176 | 37 | 139 | 34.6 | 7.2 | 27.5 | 4.56 | 37.6 | 63.23 |
| 2016 | 5 187 | 175 | 36 | 139 | 33.7 | 7.0 | 26.7 | 4.49 | 36.5 | 63.58 |
| 2017 | 5 312 | 176 | 37 | 139 | 33.0 | 6.9 | 26.1 | 4.43 | 35.4 | 63.76 |
| 2018 | 5 441 | 176 | 37 | 139 | 32.3 | 6.8 | 25.5 | 4.37 | 34.5 | 64.05 |
| 2019 | 5 571 | 177 | 41 | 135 | 31.7 | 7.4 | 24.3 | 4.30 | 35.4 | 62.75 |
| 2020 | 5 702 | 178 | 39 | 138 | 31.2 | 6.9 | 24.2 | 4.23 | 32.6 | 63.79 |
| 2021 | 5 892 | 185 | 41 | 140 | 31.4 | 6.9 | 23.7 | 4.28 | 30.7 | 64.2 |
| 2022 | 6 035 | 187 | 40 | 146 | 30.9 | 6.6 | 24.2 | 4.22 | 29.7 | 65.0 |
| 2023 | 6 183 | 189 | 39 | 149 | 30.6 | 6.3 | 24.2 | 4.16 | 28.8 | 65.8 |
| 1 2 3 4 5 CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births |||||||||||
Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects, 2022

### Demographic and Health Surveys

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):
| Year | CBR (total) | TFR (total) | CBR (urban) | TFR (urban) | CBR (rural) | TFR (rural) |
| 2005 | 40,0 | 4,8 (4,4) | 34,6 | 3,8 (3,5) | 46,1 | 6,1 (5,7) |
| 2011-2012 | 41,4 | 5,1 (4,5) | 40,6 | 4,5 (4,1) | 42,8 | 6,5 (5,5) |
Fertility data as of 2011-2012 (DHS Program):
| Department | Total fertility rate | Percentage of women age 15-49 currently pregnant | Mean number of children ever born to women age 40-49 |
| Kouilou | 6.8 | 11.4 | 6.2 |
| Niari | 5.9 | 11.9 | 5.4 |
| Lékoumou | 6.5 | 9.9 | 5.7 |
| Bouenza | 5.7 | 8.5 | 5.6 |
| Pool | 6.4 | 10.2 | 5.5 |
| Plateaux | 6.3 | 11.4 | 5.6 |
| Cuvette | 6.4 | 12.5 | 5.6 |
| Cuvette-Ouest | 6.0 | 10.1 | 6.1 |
| Sangha | 5.8 | 11.9 | 5.4 |
| Likouala | 7.0 | 11.7 | 6.4 |
| Brazzaville | 4.3 | 8.7 | 4.3 |
| Pointe-Noire | 4.6 | 9.2 | 4.5 |

## Ethnic groups

    Kongo 40.5%, Teke 16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%, Sangha 5.6%, Europeans and other 23.9%

## Languages

Languages spoken here include French (official), Kituba or Monokutuba (lingua franca), Kongo or Kikongo, Lingala, and many local languages and dialects.
The majority of the population is concentrated along the railroad between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in the south where Kituba (a creole language based on Kikongo) is the primary language. Lingala is influential in the sparsely inhabited northern half of the country.

## Religion

    Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Islam 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.)

## Health

Life expectancy for the population was estimated at 54.91 years in 2011: 53.62 for males and 56.25 for females. The adult prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS was 3.4% as of 2009, representing 77,000 people living with the disease and 5,100 deaths. The Republic of the Congo is considered to have a high degree of risk of infectious diseases, particularly bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever (all food- or waterborne), and malaria (vectorborne).
| Period | Life expectancy in years |
| 1950–1955 | 43.15 |
| 1955–1960 | 46.83 |
| 1960–1965 | 50.16 |
| 1965–1970 | 52.49 |
| 1970–1975 | 54.11 |
| 1975–1980 | 55.44 |
| 1980–1985 | 56.63 |
| 1985–1990 | 56.66 |
| 1990–1995 | 54.83 |
| 1995–2000 | 51.99 |
| 2000–2005 | 52.12 |
| 2005–2010 | 57.95 |
| 2010–2015 | 62.55 |