Rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Rural population, per square kilometre was 25.96 units per square kilometre in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
25.96 units per square kilometre
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
109th
of 215 countries
All-time high
25.96 units per square kilometre
in 2023
All-time low
5.36 units per square kilometre
in 1961
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in units per square kilometre.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo is 25.96 units per square kilometre, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 63 years on record.
That represents a change of up 2.6% on the previous year and up 30.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 25.96 units per square kilometre in 2023 and was at its lowest, 5.36 units per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 109th out of 215 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | units per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 5.36 units per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 5.49 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 5.63 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 5.77 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1965 | 5.92 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 6.08 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 6.24 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1968 | 6.41 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1969 | 6.58 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 6.75 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1971 | 6.91 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1972 | 7.07 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1973 | 7.24 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 7.41 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1975 | 7.58 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 7.75 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 7.92 units per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 8.13 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 8.39 units per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1980 | 8.62 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 8.84 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 1982 | 9.07 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 9.32 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 9.59 units per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 9.87 units per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 10.14 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1987 | 10.41 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 10.69 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1989 | 10.98 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 1990 | 11.28 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1991 | 11.6 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1992 | 11.92 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 1993 | 12.28 units per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1994 | 12.79 units per square kilometre | +4.2% |
| 1995 | 13.24 units per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1996 | 13.4 units per square kilometre | +1.2% |
| 1997 | 13.52 units per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 13.79 units per square kilometre | +2.0% |
| 1999 | 14.15 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2000 | 14.5 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2001 | 14.85 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 15.19 units per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 15.51 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2004 | 15.84 units per square kilometre | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 16.23 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2006 | 16.63 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2007 | 17.03 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 17.44 units per square kilometre | +2.4% |
| 2009 | 17.87 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 18.33 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 18.82 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2012 | 19.33 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2013 | 19.87 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 20.42 units per square kilometre | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 20.97 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2016 | 21.58 units per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 22.24 units per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 22.84 units per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 23.42 units per square kilometre | +2.5% |
| 2020 | 24.03 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2021 | 24.65 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2022 | 25.29 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 25.96 units per square kilometre | +2.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 25.96 units per square kilometre is below the median for low income countries, which is 36.47 units per square kilometre, 71% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 25.96 units per square kilometre is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 36.51 units per square kilometre, 71% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 5.94 units per square kilometre | 5.36 units per square kilometre | 6.58 units per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.51 units per square kilometre | 6.75 units per square kilometre | 8.39 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.75 units per square kilometre | 8.62 units per square kilometre | 10.98 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.8 units per square kilometre | 11.28 units per square kilometre | 14.15 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.11 units per square kilometre | 14.5 units per square kilometre | 17.87 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.78 units per square kilometre | 18.33 units per square kilometre | 23.42 units per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.98 units per square kilometre | 24.03 units per square kilometre | 25.96 units per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 106 Cameroon 26.93 units per square kilometre compare
- 107 France 26.92 units per square kilometre compare
- 108 Ecuador 26.69 units per square kilometre compare
- 110 Liberia 25.66 units per square kilometre compare
- 111 Zimbabwe 25.64 units per square kilometre compare
- 112 Malaysia 25.18 units per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.48 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0893 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 72.04 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.57 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0007 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5489 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 8.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 8.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Rural population, per square kilometre in Democratic Republic of Congo was 25.96 units per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 25.96 units per square kilometre in 2023.
- What is the lowest rural population, per square kilometre recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.36 units per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for rural population, per square kilometre?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 109th out of 215 countries with data for 2023.
- Is rural population, per square kilometre rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 30.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Rural population, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Rural population ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Rural population World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Rural population divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.