Population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Population by labor force status was 51.85 million people in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
51.85 million people
Change on year
up 3.1%
World rank
8th
of 186 countries
All-time high
51.85 million people
in 2025
All-time low
16.85 million people
in 1991
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025

20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M1991200820251991: 16.8M people1992: 17.4M people1993: 18.1M people1994: 18.8M people1995: 19.6M people1996: 20.2M people1997: 20.9M people1998: 21.6M people1999: 22.3M people2000: 23.1M people2001: 23.8M people2002: 24.6M people2003: 25.4M people2004: 26.1M people2005: 27.0M people2006: 27.8M people2007: 28.7M people2008: 29.6M people2009: 30.6M people2010: 31.6M people2011: 32.6M people2012: 33.7M people2013: 34.8M people2014: 36.0M people2015: 37.3M people2016: 38.5M people2017: 39.9M people2018: 41.3M people2019: 42.7M people2020: 44.2M people2021: 45.7M people2022: 47.2M people2023: 48.8M people2024: 50.3M people2025: 51.8M people

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo is 51.85 million people, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 35 years on record.

The figure is up 3.1% on the previous year and up 39.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 51.85 million people in 2025 and was at its lowest, 16.85 million people, in 1991.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 8th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 19.53 million people 16.85 million people 22.32 million people 9
2000s 26.67 million people 23.07 million people 30.61 million people 10
2010s 36.85 million people 31.58 million people 42.74 million people 10
2020s 48.01 million people 44.21 million people 51.85 million people 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 5 Indonesia 69.28 million people compare
  2. 6 United States 59.38 million people compare
  3. 7 Ethiopia 52.54 million people compare
  4. 9 Bangladesh 48.57 million people compare
  5. 10 Brazil 41.26 million people compare
  6. 11 Egypt 37.35 million people compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Population by labor force status in Democratic Republic of Congo was 51.85 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 51.85 million people in 2025.
What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 16.85 million people in 1991.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for population by labor force status?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 8th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is population by labor force status rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 39.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Population by labor force status
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Population below working age (under 15 years old).