Congo Population

The Republic of the Congo, the smaller of the two Congos, is unusually urban for sub-Saharan Africa, with most of its people living in Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire and the corridor between them. Fertility remains high at around four children per woman, and the population is projected to roughly triple by 2100. Oil dominates the economy, but the jobs of the future will have to come from somewhere broader.

With roughly 6.6 million people as of 2026, Congo ranks 112th in the world by population. A country of Middle Africa, its trajectory to 2100 is governed by how births, deaths and migration play out. Population density stands at about 19 people for every square kilometre of land.

Growth continues for Congo until around 2100, the year its population is set to crest at about 20.0 million. From there a slow fall takes it to roughly 20.0 million by century's end.

Fertility is high, around 4.11 births per woman, the engine of rapid, sustained growth.

Half of Congo is currently younger than about 18, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 33, while life expectancy, near 66 years, keeps rising. For now it remains one of the world's youngest populations, with a large generation about to reach working age. An older population gradually reshapes the labour force, pension systems and healthcare demand.

Read these numbers as the midpoint of a range. Under the UN's high and low fertility paths Congo's 2100 population could land well above or below the figures here; the medium variant is simply the central case.