| Population | 5,417,414 (July 2021 est.) note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected |
| Nationality | noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese or Congo |
| Ethnic groups | Kongo 40.5%, Teke 16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%, foreigner 8.2%, Sangha 5.6%, Mbere/Mbeti/Kele 4.4%, Punu 4.3%, Pygmy 1.6%, Oubanguiens 1.6%, Duma 1.5%, Makaa 1.3%, other and unspecified 1% (2014-15 est.) |
| Languages | French (official), French Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread) major-language sample(s): Buku oyo ya bosembo ya Mokili Mobimba Ezali na Makanisi ya Liboso Mpenza. (Lingala) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 33.1%, Awakening Churches/Christian Revival 22.3%, Protestant 19.9%, Salutiste 2.2%, Muslim 1.6%, Kimbanguiste 1.5%, other 8.1%, none 11.3% (2010 est.) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 41.57% (male 1,110,484/female 1,089,732) 15-24 years: 17.14% (male 454,981/female 452,204) 25-54 years: 33.5% (male 886,743/female 886,312) 55-64 years: 4.59% (male 125,207/female 117,810) 65 years and over: 3.2% (male 75,921/female 93,676) (2020 est.) |
| Dependency ratios | total dependency ratio: 78.7 youth dependency ratio: 73.7 elderly dependency ratio: 4.9 potential support ratio: 20.3 (2020 est.) |
| Median age | total: 19.5 years male: 19.3 years female: 19.7 years (2020 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.36% (2021 est.) |
| Birth rate | 32.15 births/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Death rate | 8.55 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Net migration rate | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.) |
| Population distribution | the population is primarily located in the south, in and around the capital of Brazzaville as shown in this population distribution map |
| Urbanization | urban population: 68.3% of total population (2021) rate of urbanization: 3.19% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.) |
| Major cities - population | 2.470 million BRAZZAVILLE (capital), 1.254 million Pointe-Noire (2021) |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female 55-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2020 est.) |
| Mother's mean age at first birth | 19.8 years (2011/12 est.) note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 378 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 49.28 deaths/1,000 live births male: 53.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 44.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 61.69 years male: 60.27 years female: 63.16 years (2021 est.) |
| Total fertility rate | 4.41 children born/woman (2021 est.) |
| Contraceptive prevalence rate | 30.1% (2014/15) |
| Drinking water source | improved: urban: 97.5% of population rural: 56.4% of population total: 83.7% of population unimproved: urban: 2.5% of population rural: 43.6% of population total: 16.3% of population (2017 est.) |
| Health expenditures | 2.1% (2018) |
| Physicians density | 0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2011) |
| Sanitation facility access | improved: urban: 73.4% of population rural: 15.1% of population total: 53.9% of population unimproved: urban: 26.6% of population rural: 84.9% of population total: 46.1% of population (2017 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 3.3% (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 110,000 (2020 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 6,100 (2020 est.) |
| Major infectious diseases | degree of risk: very high (2020) food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever water contact diseases: schistosomiasis animal contact diseases: rabies |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 9.6% (2016) |
| Food insecurity | severe localized food insecurity: due to restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic - the negative impact of the restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic on informal labor and on food supply chains, resulted, on one side, in the loss of income and, on the other, in high food prices due to a decline in food supply; these factors limited the access to food for the most vulnerable population (2021) |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 12.3% (2014/15) |
| Education expenditures | 3.5% of GDP (2018) |
| Demographic profile | The Republic of the Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with nearly 70% of Congolese living in urban areas. The population is concentrated in the southwest of the country, mainly in the capital Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, and along the railway line that connects the two. The tropical jungles in the north of the country are sparsely populated. Most Congolese are Bantu, and most belong to one of four main ethnic groups, the Kongo, Teke, Mbochi, and Sangha, which consist of over 70 subgroups. The Republic of Congo is in the early stages of a demographic transition, whereby a population shifts from high fertility and mortality rates to low fertility and mortality rates associated with industrialized societies. Its total fertility rate (TFR), the average number of children born per woman, remains high at 4.4. While its TFR has steadily decreased, the progress slowed beginning in about 1995. The slowdown in fertility reduction has delayed the demographic transition and Congo’s potential to reap a demographic dividend, the economic boost that can occur when the share of the working-age population is larger than the dependent age groups. The TFR differs significantly between urban and rural areas – 3.7 in urban areas versus 6.5 in rural areas. The TFR also varies among regions. The urban regions of Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire have much lower TFRs than other regions, which are predominantly or completely rural. The gap between desired fertility and actual fertility is also greatest in rural areas. Rural families may have more children to contribute to agricultural production and/or due to a lack of information about and access to contraception. Urban families may prefer to have fewer children because raising them is more expensive and balancing work and childcare may be more difficult. The number of births among teenage girls, the frequency of giving birth before the age of fifteen, and a lack of education are the most likely reasons for higher TFRs in rural areas. Although 90% of school-age children are enrolled in primary school, repetition and dropout rates are high and the quality of education is poor. Congolese women with no or little education start having children earlier and have more children in total than those with at least some secondary education.
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| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 80.3% male: 86.1% female: 74.6% (2018) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) | total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2012) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
