Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country was 3,546 in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
3,546
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
2nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
32,735
in 1996
All-time low
28
in 1989
Years of data
37
1989–2025

Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1989–2025

010.0k20.0k30.0k1989200720251989: 281990: 1471991: 321992: 671993: 2281994: 1621995: 581996: 32.7k1997: 9.1k1998: 3.9k1999: 2.9k2000: 5322001: 3362002: 4.8k2003: 3.4k2004: 7042005: 2552006: 1872007: 2552008: 8832009: 3.3k2010: 8392011: 1752012: 7452013: 5112014: 4052015: 4402016: 6572017: 1.4k2018: 4212019: 9192020: 2.0k2021: 2.2k2022: 3.3k2023: 2.7k2024: 3.6k2025: 3.5k

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 3,546 for deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.0% on the previous year and up 705.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 32,735 in 1996 and was at its lowest, 28, in 1989.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1989 to 2025.
Year Value Change
1989 28 —
1990 147 +425.0%
1991 32 -78.2%
1992 67 +109.4%
1993 228 +240.3%
1994 162 -28.9%
1995 58 -64.2%
1996 32,735 +56339.7%
1997 9,145 -72.1%
1998 3,936 -57.0%
1999 2,856 -27.4%
2000 532 -81.4%
2001 336 -36.8%
2002 4,832 +1338.1%
2003 3,360 -30.5%
2004 704 -79.0%
2005 255 -63.8%
2006 187 -26.7%
2007 255 +36.4%
2008 883 +246.3%
2009 3,341 +278.4%
2010 839 -74.9%
2011 175 -79.1%
2012 745 +325.7%
2013 511 -31.4%
2014 405 -20.7%
2015 440 +8.6%
2016 657 +49.3%
2017 1,449 +120.5%
2018 421 -70.9%
2019 919 +118.3%
2020 1,964 +113.7%
2021 2,165 +10.2%
2022 3,331 +53.9%
2023 2,748 -17.5%
2024 3,617 +31.6%
2025 3,546 -2.0%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

  • Democratic Republic of Congo's 3,546 is above the median for low income countries, which is 22, 161.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.

YearChange FromTo
1996 +56339.7% 58 32,735
2002 +1338.1% 336 4,832

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 28 28 28 1
1990s 4,937 32 32,735 10
2000s 1,468 187 4,832 10
2010s 656.1 175 1,449 10
2020s 2,895 1,964 3,617 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 1 Sudan 62,775 compare
  2. 3 Syria 1,980 compare
  3. 4 Burkina Faso 1,268 compare
  4. 5 Haiti 1,217 compare

See the full ranking of 197 places →

More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo was 3,546 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest deaths in armed conflicts by type and country recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 32,735 in 1996.
What is the lowest deaths in armed conflicts by type and country recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 28 in 1989.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for deaths in armed conflicts by type and country?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 2nd out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
Is deaths in armed conflicts by type and country rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 705.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/deaths-in-armed-conflicts-by-type-and-country/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Deaths in armed conflicts by type and country
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
197 places, 7,289 data points, 1989–2025
Last refreshed