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Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Uganda

Demographics

Democratic Republic of the CongoUganda
Population105,044,646 (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
44,712,143 (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
Age structure0-14 years: 46.38% (male 23,757,297/female 23,449,057)

15-24 years: 19.42% (male 9,908,686/female 9,856,841)

25-54 years: 28.38% (male 14,459,453/female 14,422,912)

55-64 years: 3.36% (male 1,647,267/female 1,769,429)

65 years and over: 2.47% (male 1,085,539/female 1,423,782) (2020 est.)
0-14 years: 48.21% (male 10,548,913/female 10,304,876)

15-24 years: 20.25% (male 4,236,231/female 4,521,698)

25-54 years: 26.24% (male 5,202,570/female 6,147,304)

55-64 years: 2.91% (male 579,110/female 681,052)

65 years and over: 2.38% (male 442,159/female 589,053) (2020 est.)
Median agetotal: 16.7 years

male: 16.5 years

female: 16.8 years (2020 est.)
total: 15.7 years

male: 14.9 years

female: 16.5 years (2020 est.)
Population growth rate3.16% (2021 est.)3.31% (2021 est.)
Birth rate40.53 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)41.6 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate8.15 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Net migration rate-0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)-3.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Sex ratioat birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 0.94 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 0.85 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.85 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female

total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2020 est.)
Infant mortality ratetotal: 62.63 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 68.39 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 56.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
total: 31.49 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 34.98 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 27.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Life expectancy at birthtotal population: 61.43 years

male: 59.66 years

female: 63.25 years (2021 est.)
total population: 68.58 years

male: 66.34 years

female: 70.9 years (2021 est.)
Total fertility rate5.7 children born/woman (2021 est.)5.45 children born/woman (2021 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate0.7% (2020 est.)5.4% (2020 est.)
Nationalitynoun: Congolese (singular and plural)

adjective: Congolese or Congo
noun: Ugandan(s)

adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groupsmore than 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) - make up about 45% of the populationBaganda 16.5%, Banyankole 9.6%, Basoga 8.8%, Bakiga 7.1%, Iteso 7%, Langi 6.3%, Bagisu 4.9%, Acholi 4.4%, Lugbara 3.3%, other 32.1% (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS510,000 (2020 est.)1.4 million (2020 est.)
ReligionsRoman Catholic 29.9%, Protestant 26.7%, other Christian 36.5%, Kimbanguist 2.8%, Muslim 1.3%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 1.2%, none 1.3%, unspecified .2% (2014 est.)Protestant 45.1% (Anglican 32.0%, Pentecostal/Born Again/Evangelical 11.1%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.7%, Baptist .3%), Roman Catholic 39.3%, Muslim 13.7%, other 1.6%, none 0.2% (2014 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths17,000 (2020 est.)22,000 (2020 est.)
LanguagesFrench (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

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.
English (official language, taught in schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages and the language used most often in the capital), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili (official), Arabic
Literacydefinition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba

total population: 77%

male: 88.5%

female: 66.5% (2016)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 76.5%

male: 82.7%

female: 70.8% (2018)
Major infectious diseasesdegree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and trypanosomiasis-gambiense (African sleeping sickness)

water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases: rabies

note: on 7 February 2021, the Ministry of Health declared the 12th outbreak of Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo; on 12 March 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a Travel Health Notice recommending travelers avoid non-essential travel for an Ebola outbreak in the North Kivu (Kivu Nord) province in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come into contact with an infected person's blood or other body fluids; travelers should seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, muscle pain, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, or unexplained bleeding or bruising during or after travel
degree of risk: very high (2020)

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases: malaria, dengue fever, and Trypanosomiasis-Gambiense (African sleeping sickness)

water contact diseases: schistosomiasis

animal contact diseases: rabies
Food insecuritywidespread lack of access: due to persistent civil insecurity and COVID-19 restrictions - 27.3 million people are estimated to be severely food insecure in the February-July 2021 period, the highest level on record; this is due to the severe impact of movement restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic which continue to limit cross-border trade and access to markets, and the ongoing conflict in eastern provinces, which triggered population displacements and locally disrupt crop production, resulting in shortages of food supplies in some markets; the eruption, on 22 May 2021, of the Nyiragongo volcano, in North Kivu Province, caused the further displacement of about 415,000 people (2021)widespread lack of access: due to reduced incomes, and floods - in traditionally food secure urban areas, including the capital, Kampala, more than 600,000 people were food insecure due to the restrictive measures introduced to curb the spread of the COVID-19 virus; the food security situation in urban areas was the most affected by the COVID-19-related restrictive measures, as poor households mainly rely on the daily wages obtained through casual labor, petty trading, food vending, construction activities and domestic work; despite the phasing out of some restrictive measures, the food security situation of the urban poor has not significantly improved, as the restrictions still in place on business operations are resulting in a slow recovery of the economic activities; in rural areas, torrential rains in April and May 2020 resulted in localized crop and livelihood losses (2021)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)total: 11 years

male: 10 years

female: 9 years (2013)
total: 10 years

male: 10 years

female: 10 years (2011)
Education expenditures1.5% of GDP (2017)2.1% of GDP (2018)
Urbanizationurban population: 46.2% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 4.33% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
urban population: 25.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 5.41% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Drinking water sourceimproved: urban: 84.3% of population

rural: 32.4% of population

total: 55.2% of population

unimproved: urban: 15.7% of population

rural: 67.6% of population

total: 44.8% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 92.9% of population

rural: 77.2% of population

total: 80.8% of population

unimproved: urban: 7.1% of population

rural: 22.8% of population

total: 19.2% of population (2017 est.)
Sanitation facility accessimproved: urban: 54.7% of population

rural: 29.8% of population

total: 40.7% of population

unimproved: urban: 44.5% of population

rural: 70.2% of population

total: 59.3% of population (2017 est.)
improved: urban: 67.8% of population

rural: 26.6% of population

total: 36.2% of population

unimproved: urban: 32.2% of population

rural: 73.4% of population

total: 63.8% of population (2017 est.)
Major cities - population14.970 million KINSHASA (capital), 2.643 million Mbuji-Mayi, 2.584 million Lubumbashi, 1.524 million Kananga, 1.321 million Kisangani, 1.133 million Bukavu (2021)3.470 million KAMPALA (capital) (2021)
Maternal mortality rate473 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)375 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)
Children under the age of 5 years underweight23.1% (2017/18)10.4% (2016)
Health expenditures3.3% (2018)6.5% (2018)
Physicians density0.07 physicians/1,000 population (2016)0.17 physicians/1,000 population (2017)
Obesity - adult prevalence rate6.7% (2016)5.3% (2016)
Mother's mean age at first birth19.9 years (2013/14 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 20-49
19.4 years (2016 est.)

note: median age at first birth among women 20-49
Demographic profile

Despite a wealth of fertile soil, hydroelectric power potential, and mineral resources, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) struggles with many socioeconomic problems, including high infant and maternal mortality rates, malnutrition, poor vaccination coverage, lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation, and frequent and early fertility. Ongoing conflict, mismanagement of resources, and a lack of investment have resulted in food insecurity; almost 30 percent of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. The overall coverage of basic public services - education, health, sanitation, and potable water - is very limited and piecemeal, with substantial regional and rural/urban disparities. Fertility remains high at almost 5 children per woman and is likely to remain high because of the low use of contraception and the cultural preference for larger families.

The DRC is a source and host country for refugees. Between 2012 and 2014, more than 119,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of Congo to the relative stability of northwest DRC, but more than 540,000 Congolese refugees remained abroad as of year-end 2015. In addition, an estimated 3.9 million Congolese were internally displaced as of October 2017, the vast majority fleeing violence between rebel group and Congolese armed forces. Thousands of refugees have come to the DRC from neighboring countries, including Rwanda, the Central African Republic, and Burundi.

Uganda has one of the youngest and most rapidly growing populations in the world; its total fertility rate is among the world's highest at 5.8 children per woman. Except in urban areas, actual fertility exceeds women's desired fertility by one or two children, which is indicative of the widespread unmet need for contraception, lack of government support for family planning, and a cultural preference for large families. High numbers of births, short birth intervals, and the early age of childbearing contribute to Uganda's high maternal mortality rate. Gender inequities also make fertility reduction difficult; women on average are less-educated, participate less in paid employment, and often have little say in decisions over childbearing and their own reproductive health. However, even if the birth rate were significantly reduced, Uganda's large pool of women entering reproductive age ensures rapid population growth for decades to come.

Unchecked, population increase will further strain the availability of arable land and natural resources and overwhelm the country's limited means for providing food, employment, education, health care, housing, and basic services. The country's north and northeast lag even further behind developmentally than the rest of the country as a result of long-term conflict (the Ugandan Bush War 1981-1986 and more than 20 years of fighting between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and Ugandan Government forces), ongoing inter-communal violence, and periodic natural disasters.

Uganda has been both a source of refugees and migrants and a host country for refugees. In 1972, then President Idi AMIN, in his drive to return Uganda to Ugandans, expelled the South Asian population that composed a large share of the country's business people and bankers. Since the 1970s, thousands of Ugandans have emigrated, mainly to southern Africa or the West, for security reasons, to escape poverty, to search for jobs, and for access to natural resources. The emigration of Ugandan doctors and nurses due to low wages is a particular concern given the country's shortage of skilled health care workers. Africans escaping conflicts in neighboring states have found refuge in Uganda since the 1950s; the country currently struggles to host tens of thousands from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, and other nearby countries.

Contraceptive prevalence rate28.1% (2017/18)41.8% (2018)
Dependency ratiostotal dependency ratio: 95.4

youth dependency ratio: 89.5

elderly dependency ratio: 5.9

potential support ratio: 17 (2020 est.)
total dependency ratio: 92.3

youth dependency ratio: 88.5

elderly dependency ratio: 3.8

potential support ratio: 26.2 (2020 est.)

Source: CIA Factbook