Birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Birth rate vs. death rate was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023. ▼ Falling
Birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in births per 1,000 people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo is 41.3 births per 1,000 people, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.8% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 47.89 births per 1,000 people in 1966 and was at its lowest, 41.3 births per 1,000 people, in 2023.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | births per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | — |
| 1951 | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1952 | 46.08 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1953 | 46.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1954 | 46.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 46.32 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 46.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1957 | 46.53 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1958 | 46.74 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1959 | 46.81 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1960 | 47.06 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1961 | 47.21 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1962 | 47.36 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 47.48 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1964 | 47.66 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 47.75 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 1966 | 47.89 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1967 | 47.87 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1968 | 47.8 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1969 | 47.68 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 47.57 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1971 | 47.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 47.15 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1973 | 46.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 46.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1975 | 46.36 births per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1976 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1977 | 45.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1978 | 45.44 births per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1979 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1980 | 46.09 births per 1,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1981 | 46.06 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1983 | 46.06 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1984 | 46.18 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 46.5 births per 1,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1986 | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 46.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 1988 | 46.4 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 1989 | 46.12 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1990 | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1991 | 45.99 births per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 45.71 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 45.88 births per 1,000 people | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 45.34 births per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 1995 | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | +4.1% |
| 1996 | 47 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.99 births per 1,000 people | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 44.94 births per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1999 | 45.23 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2000 | 45.3 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2001 | 44.98 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 44.56 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 44.16 births per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 43.78 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 43.73 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 43.97 births per 1,000 people | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 43.96 births per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 44.01 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 44.03 births per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 43.92 births per 1,000 people | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 43.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 43.95 births per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 43.69 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 43.51 births per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 43.24 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 42.88 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 42.98 births per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 42.89 births per 1,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 42.55 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 42.19 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2021 | 41.94 births per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 41.62 births per 1,000 people | -0.7% |
| 2023 | 41.3 births per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.3 births per 1,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 32.09 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 41.3 births per 1,000 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 31.17 births per 1,000 people, 1.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.33 births per 1,000 people | 45.85 births per 1,000 people | 46.81 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 47.58 births per 1,000 people | 47.06 births per 1,000 people | 47.89 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 46.53 births per 1,000 people | 45.44 births per 1,000 people | 47.57 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 46.26 births per 1,000 people | 46.01 births per 1,000 people | 46.64 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 45.91 births per 1,000 people | 44.94 births per 1,000 people | 47.2 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 44.25 births per 1,000 people | 43.73 births per 1,000 people | 45.3 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 43.36 births per 1,000 people | 42.55 births per 1,000 people | 43.98 births per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 41.76 births per 1,000 people | 41.3 births per 1,000 people | 42.19 births per 1,000 people | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0905 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Birth rate vs. death rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 47.89 births per 1,000 people in 1966.
- What is the lowest birth rate vs. death rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 41.3 births per 1,000 people in 2023.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for birth rate vs. death rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is birth rate vs. death rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Birth rate vs. death rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Number of live births in a year per 1,000 people in the population.