History
Became a Belgian Colony: 1908
Gained Independence: 1960
Population
79,375,136
The DRC is the 20th most populated country in the world.
DRC is a vast country located in Central Africa in the sub
Great Lakes region. It covers an area of 2,345,000km²
and is the 3rd largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa after
Algeria and Sudan.
Major Cities (2015 est.)
Kinshasa (Capital): 11,587,000
Lubumbashi: 2,015,000
Mbuji-Mayi: 2,007,000
Kananga: 1,169,000
Kisangani: 1,040,000
Urbanization
Urban population: 42.5% of total population
(2015)
Rate of urbanization: 3.96% annual rate of change
(2015)
Political Figures
Languages
French (Official)
Lingala (A Lingua Franca Trade Language)
Kingwana (A Dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili)
Kikongo
Tshiluba
Literacy
Ages 15 years and over who can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba.
Total population: 63.8%
Male: 78.1%
Female: 50% (2015)
School Life Expectancy
Total: 10 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 8 years (2012 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years: 42.65% (male 17,061,640/female 16,793,575)
15-24 years: 21.41% (male 8,522,085/female 8,474,212)
25-54 years: 29.75% (male 11,783,887/female 11,829,078)
55-64 years: 3.56% (male 1,329,384/female 1,495,329)
65 years and over: 2.63% (male 879,823/female 1,206,123)
(2015 est.)
Median Age
Total: 18.1 years
Male: 17.9 years
Female: 18.4 years (2015)
Birth Rate
The DRC has the 23rd highest average annual number of births/1,000 persons in the world.
34.88 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)
Death Rate
The DRC has the 43th highest average annual number of deaths/1,000 persons in the world.
10.07 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)
Sex Ratio
At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2015 est.)
Total Fertility Rate
The DRC has the 23rd highest total fertility rate in the world.
4.66 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Maternal Mortality Rate
The DRC has the 17th highest maternal mortality rate in the world.
693 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
Infant Mortality Rate
The DRC has the 12th highest infant mortality rate in the world.
Total: 71.47 deaths/1,000 live births
Male: 75.07 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 67.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)
Life Expectancy at Birth
The DRC has the 206th highest life expectancy in the world.
Total population: 56.93 years
Male: 55.39 years
Female: 58.51 years (2015 est.)
Health Expenditures
The DRC had the 123rd highest health expenditures in 2009 in comparison to the rest of the world.
3.5% of GDP (2013 est.)
Physicians Density
0.11 physicians/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 163
Hospital Bed Denisty
0.8 beds/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Country comparison to the world: 158
Drinking Water Source
Improved
Urban: 81.1% of population
Rural: 31.2% of population
Total: 52.4% of population
Unimproved
Urban: 18.9% of population
Rural: 68.8% of population
Total: 47.6% of population (2015 est.)
Sanitation Facility Access
Improved
Urban: 28.5% of population
Rural: 28.7% of population
Total: 28.7% of population
Unimproved
Urban: 71.5% of population
Rural: 71.3% of population
Total: 71.3% of population (2015 est.)
Major Infectious Diseases
Degree of Risk: very high
Food or Waterborne diseases: Bacterial and Protozoal Diarrhea, Hepatitis A, and Typhoid fever
Vectorborne Diseases: Malaria, Plague, and African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness)
Water Contact Disease: Schistosomiasis
Animal Contact Disease: Rabies (2013 est.)
Children Under 5 Years Of Age Who Are Underweight
The DRC is ranked 25st in the world for the percentage of children under 5 years of age who are underweight.
23.4% (2014 est.)