Dem. Rep. Congo - Population, total

The value for Population, total in Dem. Rep. Congo was 89,561,410 as of 2020. As the graph below shows, over the past 60 years this indicator reached a maximum value of 89,561,410 in 2020 and a minimum value of 15,248,260 in 1960.

Definition: Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.

Source: (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2019 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Popu

See also:

Year Value
1960 15,248,260
1961 15,637,700
1962 16,041,190
1963 16,461,830
1964 16,903,830
1965 17,369,880
1966 17,862,050
1967 18,378,620
1968 18,913,870
1969 19,459,820
1970 20,011,030
1971 20,564,060
1972 21,121,360
1973 21,690,450
1974 22,282,130
1975 22,903,590
1976 23,560,470
1977 24,249,130
1978 24,956,390
1979 25,663,600
1980 26,358,900
1981 27,040,330
1982 27,717,290
1983 28,403,860
1984 29,119,660
1985 29,881,220
1986 30,683,880
1987 31,528,700
1988 32,443,780
1989 33,464,770
1990 34,612,020
1991 35,908,240
1992 37,333,920
1993 38,815,840
1994 40,252,970
1995 41,576,240
1996 42,757,240
1997 43,827,190
1998 44,849,970
1999 45,919,620
2000 47,105,830
2001 48,428,540
2002 49,871,670
2003 51,425,580
2004 53,068,870
2005 54,785,900
2006 56,578,050
2007 58,453,690
2008 60,411,200
2009 62,448,570
2010 64,563,850
2011 66,755,150
2012 69,020,750
2013 71,358,800
2014 73,767,450
2015 76,244,530
2016 78,789,130
2017 81,398,770
2018 84,068,100
2019 86,790,570
2020 89,561,410

Development Relevance: Increases in human population, whether as a result of immigration or more births than deaths, can impact natural resources and social infrastructure. This can place pressure on a country's sustainability. A significant growth in population will negatively impact the availability of land for agricultural production, and will aggravate demand for food, energy, water, social services, and infrastructure. On the other hand, decreasing population size - a result of fewer births than deaths, and people moving out of a country - can impact a government's commitment to maintain services and infrastructure.

Limitations and Exceptions: Current population estimates for developing countries that lack (i) reliable recent census data, and (ii) pre- and post-census estimates for countries with census data, are provided by the United Nations Population Division and other agencies. The cohort component method - a standard method for estimating and projecting population - requires fertility, mortality, and net migration data, often collected from sample surveys, which can be small or limited in coverage. Population estimates are from demographic modeling and so are susceptible to biases and errors from shortcomings in both the model and the data. In the UN estimates the five-year age group is the cohort unit and five-year period data are used; therefore interpolations to obtain annual data or single age structure may not reflect actual events or age composition. Because future trends cannot be known with certainty, population projections have a wide range of uncertainty.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Population estimates are usually based on national population censuses. Estimates for the years before and after the census are interpolations or extrapolations based on demographic models. Errors and undercounting occur even in high-income countries. In developing countries errors may be substantial because of limits in the transport, communications, and other resources required to conduct and analyze a full census. The quality and reliability of official demographic data are also affected by public trust in the government, government commitment to full and accurate enumeration, confidentiality and protection against misuse of census data, and census agencies' independence from political influence. Moreover, comparability of population indicators is limited by differences in the concepts, definitions, collection procedures, and estimation methods used by national statistical agencies and other organizations that collect the data. The currentness of a census and the availability of complementary data from surveys or registration systems are objective ways to judge demographic data quality. Some European countries' registration systems offer complete information on population in the absence of a census. The United Nations Statistics Division monitors the completeness of vital registration systems. Some developing countries have made progress over the last 60 years, but others still have deficiencies in civil registration systems. International migration is the only other factor besides birth and death rates that directly determines a country's population growth. Estimating migration is difficult. At any time many people are located outside their home country as tourists, workers, or refugees or for other reasons. Standards for the duration and purpose of international moves that qualify as migration vary, and estimates require information on flows into and out of countries that is difficult to collect. Population projections, starting from a base year are projected forward using assumptions of mortality, fertility, and migration by age and sex through 2050, based on the UN Population Division's World Population Prospects database medium variant.

Aggregation method: Sum

Periodicity: Annual

General Comments: Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

Classification

Topic: Health Indicators

Sub-Topic: Population