Drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Drinking water usage in urban areas was 448,001 people in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
448,001 people
Change on year
up 4.6%
World rank
7th
of 188 countries
All-time high
650,355 people
in 2002
All-time low
373,738 people
in 2020
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2024
Source: WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo is 448,001 people, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 4.6% on the previous year and down 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 650,355 people in 2002 and was at its lowest, 373,738 people, in 2020.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 188 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 644,631 people | — |
| 2001 | 648,388 people | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 650,355 people | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 650,275 people | -0.0% |
| 2004 | 649,076 people | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 647,394 people | -0.3% |
| 2006 | 644,390 people | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 639,492 people | -0.8% |
| 2008 | 632,846 people | -1.0% |
| 2009 | 624,871 people | -1.3% |
| 2010 | 615,493 people | -1.5% |
| 2011 | 604,518 people | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 591,491 people | -2.2% |
| 2013 | 576,211 people | -2.6% |
| 2014 | 558,021 people | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 536,257 people | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 512,403 people | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 485,390 people | -5.3% |
| 2018 | 452,881 people | -6.7% |
| 2019 | 415,412 people | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 373,738 people | -10.0% |
| 2021 | 391,087 people | +4.6% |
| 2022 | 409,158 people | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 428,193 people | +4.7% |
| 2024 | 448,001 people | +4.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 448,001 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 16,882 people, 26.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 448,001 people is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 10,146 people, 44.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 643,172 people | 624,871 people | 650,355 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 534,808 people | 415,412 people | 615,493 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 410,035 people | 373,738 people | 448,001 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More environment data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 2.26 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate 5.2 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), annual 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per unit of 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.338 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Drinking water usage in urban areas in Democratic Republic of Congo was 448,001 people in 2024, according to WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 650,355 people in 2002.
- What is the lowest drinking water usage in urban areas recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 373,738 people in 2020.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for drinking water usage in urban areas?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 188 countries with data for 2024.
- Is drinking water usage in urban areas rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (2025) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Drinking water usage in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people using drinking water directly collected from surface waters.