Demographics of the Republic of the Congo
This article is about the demographic features of the population of the Republic of the Congo, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
The Republic of the Congo's sparse population is concentrated in the southwestern portion of the country, leaving the vast areas of tropical jungle in the north virtually uninhabited. Thus, Congo is one of the most urbanized countries in Africa, with 85% of its total population living in a few urban areas, namely in Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire, or one of the small cities or villages lining the 332-mile railway which connects the two cities. In rural areas, industrial and commercial activity has declined rapidly in recent years, leaving rural economies dependent on the government for support and subsistence. Before the 1997 war, about 15,000 Europeans and other non-Africans lived in Congo, most of whom were French. Presently, only about 9,500 remain. Pygmies make up between 5 to 10 percent of Congo's population.[1]
CIA World Factbook demographic statistics
The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.
Population
- 4,243,929
- Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to STD's; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2011 est.)
Age structure
- 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 864,407/female 853,728)
- 15-64 years: 50.7% (male 930,390/female 945,545)
- 65 years and over: 2.9% (male 44,430/female 63,814) (2006 est.)
Median age
- Total:17 years
- Male: 16.8 years
- Female: 17.2 years (2011 est.)
Population growth rate
- 2.835% (2011 est.)
Birth rate
- 40.55 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Death rate
- 11.49 deaths/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Net migration rate
- -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
Sex ratio
- At birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
- Under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
- Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate
- Total: 85.29 deaths/1,000 live births
- Male: 91 deaths/1,000 live births
- Female: 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
- Total population: 54.91 years
- Male: 53.62 years
- Female: 56.25 years (2011 est.)
Total fertility rate
- 5.68 children born/woman (2011 est.)
HIV/AIDS
- Adult prevalence rate: 3.4% (2009 est.)
- People living with HIV/AIDS: 77,000 (2009 est.)
- Deaths: 5,100 (2009 est.)
Major infectious diseases
- Degree of risk: very high
- Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
- Vectorborne disease: malaria (2005)
Ethnic groups
- Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%
Religions
- Catholic 50.5%, Protestant 40.2%, Muslim 1.3%, Animism 2.2% Baha'i 0.4%, other 2.2%.[2]
Languages
- French (official language and the language of the élite), Lingala and Kituba (national languages and linguae francae among common people), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo is the most widespread)
The majority of the population is concentrated along the railroad between Pointe-Noire and Brazzaville in the south where Kituba (a creole language based on Kikongo) is the primary language. Lingala is influential in the sparsely inhabited northern half of the country.
Literacy
- Definition:
- Total population: 83.8%
- Male: 89.6%
- Female: 78.4% (2003 est.)
References
This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2006 edition".