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 2% of Congo's population.[1]

Population

Population of the Republic of the Congo, Data of FAO, year 2005

According to the 2010 revison of the World Population Prospects the total population was 4 043 000 in 2010, compared to only 808 000 in 1950. The proportion of children below the age of 15 in 2010 was 40.6%, 55.7% was between 15 and 65 years of age, while 3.7% was 65 years or older .[2]

Total population (x 1000) Population aged 0–14 (%) Population aged 15–64 (%) Population aged 65+ (%)
1950 80840.156.43.5
1955 89940.555.93.6
1960 1 01441.455.03.7
1965 1 15842.553.73.8
1970 1 33543.552.73.8
1975 1 55544.252.03.8
1980 1 79844.851.43.8
1985 2 08144.651.73.7
1990 2 38943.752.53.7
1995 2 73342.553.73.7
2000 3 13641.554.73.7
2005 3 53341.355.03.7
2010 4 04340.655.73.7

Vital statistics

Registration of vital events in the Republic of the Congo is incomplete. The Population Departement of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. [2]

Period Live births per year Deaths per year Natural change per year CBR* CDR* NC* TFR* IMR*
1950-1955 36 000 18 000 18 00042.220.921.45.68142
1955-1960 40 000 17 000 23 00042.318.324.05.79123
1960-1965 46 000 18 000 29 00042.816.226.65.99107
1965-1970 54 000 18 000 35 00043.114.828.36.1997
1970-1975 62 000 20 000 43 00043.113.729.46.2989
1975-1980 72 000 21 000 50 00042.712.829.96.2983
1980-1985 79 000 23 000 56 00040.912.029.05.9978
1985-1990 87 000 26 000 61 00038.911.427.45.5573
1990-1995 97 000 31 000 66 00037.812.125.65.2174
1995-2000 111 000 37 000 74 00037.712.625.15.0175
2000-2005 124 000 42 000 82 00037.212.524.64.8575
2005-2010 136 000 44 000 92 00036.011.724.34.6472
* CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births; TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman)

Fertility and Births

Total Fertility Rate (TFR) (Wanted Fertility Rate) and Crude Birth Rate (CBR):[3]

Year CBR (Total) TFR (Total) CBR (Urban) TFR (Urban) CBR (Rural) TFR (Rural)
2005 40,0 4,8 (4,4) 34,6 3,8 (3,5) 46,1 6,1 (5,7)
2011-2012 41,4 5,1 (4,5) 40,6 4,5 (4,1) 42,8 6,5 (5,5)

Ethnic groups

Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans and other 3%

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.

Religion

Catholic 50.5%, Protestant 40.2%, Muslim 1.3%, Animism 2.2% Baha'i 0.4%, other 2.2%.

Health

Life expectancy for the population was estimated at 54.91 years in 2011: 53.62 for males and 56.25 for females. The adult prevalence rate for HIV/AIDS was 3.4% as of 2009, representing 77,000 people living with the disease and 5,100 deaths. The Republic of Congo is considered to have a high degree of risk of infectious diseases, particularly bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and typhoid fever (all food- or waterborne), and malaria (vectorborne).

Education

As of 2003, 83.8% of the adult population was considered literate, consisting 89.3% of males and 78.4% of females.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from the CIA World Factbook document "2006 edition".

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