Population living in slums (% of urban population) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Population living in slums (% of urban population) was 78.4% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Population living in slums in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2002–2022
Source: Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Measured in % of urban population.
Analysis
In 2022, population living in slums in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 78.4%. That is the highest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population living in slums in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 78.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 71.9%, in 2002.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 6th out of 174 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Population living in slums (% of urban population) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of urban population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 71.9% | — |
| 2004 | 71.9% | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 72.4% | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 73.3% | +1.3% |
| 2010 | 74.2% | +1.3% |
| 2012 | 75.1% | +1.2% |
| 2014 | 76.1% | +1.2% |
| 2016 | 77.0% | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 77.9% | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 78.4% | +0.6% |
| 2022 | 78.4% | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 78.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 59.7%, 1.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 78.4% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 48.7%, 1.6× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 72.4% | 71.9% | 73.3% | 4 |
| 2010s | 76.1% | 74.2% | 77.9% | 5 |
| 2020s | 78.4% | 78.4% | 78.4% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 3 Burkina Faso 87.9% compare
- 4 Sao Tome and Principe 82.4% compare
- 5 Chad 82.0% compare
- 7 Congo 75.3% compare
- 8 Sudan 73.7% compare
- 9 Afghanistan 71.6% compare
More poverty & inequality data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 6.05 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 871.8 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 0.9963 % change on previous year (2024)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 9.33 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 9.3% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population living in slums in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Population living in slums in Democratic Republic of Congo was 78.4% in 2022, according to Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
- What is the highest population living in slums recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest population living in slums recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 71.9% in 2002.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for population living in slums?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 6th out of 174 countries with data for 2022.
- Is population living in slums rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Urban Indicators Database, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), published as part of Population living in slums (% of urban population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Population living in slums is the proportion of the urban population living in slum households. A slum household is defined as a group of individuals living under the same roof lacking one or more of the following conditions: access to improved water, access to improved sanitation, sufficient living area, housing durability, and security of tenure, as adopted in the Millennium Development Goal Target 7.D. The successor, the Sustainable Development Goal 11.1.1, considers inadequate housing (housing affordability) to complement the above definition of slums/informal settlements.