Life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Life expectancy at birth was 61.63 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Latest (2021)
61.63
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
165th
of 184 countries
All-time high
62.04
in 2020
All-time low
52.64
in 2000
Years of data
22
2000–2021
Life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 61.63 for life expectancy at birth in 2021.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 62.04 in 2020 and was at its lowest, 52.64, in 2000.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 165th of 184 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 52.64 | — |
| 2001 | 53 | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 53.25 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 53.69 | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 54.34 | +1.2% |
| 2005 | 54.94 | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 55.48 | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 55.98 | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 56.32 | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 56.81 | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 57.4 | +1.0% |
| 2011 | 57.89 | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 58.34 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 58.9 | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 59.46 | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 59.96 | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 60.44 | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 60.84 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 61.43 | +1.0% |
| 2019 | 61.84 | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 62.04 | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 61.63 | -0.7% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.63 is below the median for low income countries, which is 62.49, 99% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 61.63 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 63.05, 98% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 54.65 | 52.64 | 56.81 | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.65 | 57.4 | 61.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 61.83 | 61.63 | 62.04 | 2 |
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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 821.4 deaths per 1,000 people (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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Life expectancy at birth in Democratic Republic of Congo was 61.63 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 62.04 in 2020.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.64 in 2000.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for life expectancy at birth?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 165th out of 184 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).