Rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Rural population growth was 2.5% in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
2.5%
Change on year
down 1.6%
World rank
10th
of 207 countries
All-time high
4.1%
in 1994
All-time low
0.9%
in 1997
Years of data
65
1961–2025

Rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1961–2025

1234196119932025

Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo is 2.5%, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 1.6% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 4.1% in 1994 and was at its lowest, 0.9%, in 1997.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 10th out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 2.5% 2.4% 2.7% 9
1970s 2.4% 2.1% 3.1% 10
1980s 2.7% 2.5% 2.9% 10
1990s 2.5% 0.9% 4.1% 10
2000s 2.3% 2.1% 2.4% 10
2010s 2.7% 2.5% 3.0% 10
2020s 2.6% 2.5% 2.6% 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 7 Ukraine 2.7% compare
  2. 8 Central African Republic 2.6% compare
  3. 9 Chad 2.5% compare
  4. 11 Yemen 2.5% compare
  5. 12 Afghanistan 2.4% compare
  6. 13 Sudan 2.3% compare

See the full ranking of 256 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Rural population growth in Democratic Republic of Congo was 2.5% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest rural population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 4.1% in 1994.
What is the lowest rural population growth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 0.9% in 1997.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for rural population growth?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 10th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
Is rural population growth rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Rural population growth (annual %)
Unit
annual %
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
256 places, 16,517 data points, 1961–2025
Last refreshed

Annual rural population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear rural population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population.