Rural population in Congo

Congo: Rural population was 35.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
35.9%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
106th
of 215 countries
All-time high
63.3%
in 1960
All-time low
35.9%
in 2025
Years of data
66
1960–2025

Rural population in Congo, 1960–2025

0204060196019922025

Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.

Analysis

The most recent figure for rural population in Congo is 35.9%, measured in 2025. That is the lowest value across all 66 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rural population in Congo peaked at 63.3% in 1960 and was at its lowest, 35.9%, in 2025.

That places Congo 106th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 66 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 62.7% 61.9% 63.3% 10
1970s 59.2% 54.7% 61.7% 10
1980s 48.7% 45.8% 53.2% 10
1990s 43.7% 41.7% 45.4% 10
2000s 39.1% 37.8% 41.1% 10
2010s 37.0% 36.5% 37.6% 10
2020s 36.2% 35.9% 36.4% 6

Countries ranked near Congo

  1. 103 Ecuador 36.6% compare
  2. 104 Nigeria 36.2% compare
  3. 105 South Africa 36.2% compare
  4. 107 North Korea 35.8% compare
  5. 108 Ireland 35.4% compare
  6. 109 Gambia 35.0% compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Congo

All data for Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is rural population in Congo?
Rural population in Congo was 35.9% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
What is the highest rural population recorded in Congo?
The highest recorded value was 63.3% in 1960.
What is the lowest rural population recorded in Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 35.9% in 2025.
How does Congo rank for rural population?
Congo ranks 106th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
Is rural population rising or falling in Congo?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Congo data come from?
The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population (% of total population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

About this data

Indicator
Rural population (% of total population)
Unit
% of total population
Source
World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
264 places, 17,424 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

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.