Peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo In spite of the devastation of the Great African War (1995 – 2007, analyzed in learning activity four of this unit) that caused the death of an estimated seven million Congolese, the DRC remains the fourth most populated country in Africa with a population of 79.4 million (2015), following Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt. The DRC’s population is currently growing at 2.7 percent annually. Not unlike most African countries, the population of the DRC is heavily skewed to youth: 44% of the national population is under 24 years of age! Compare this to 32% of the population for the same age group in the U.S. and 24% in Japan. This demographic reality makes great demands on the government and economy of the DRC in terms of providing schooling (and other social services) and opportunities for employment in an economy decimated by war, mismanagement, and the on-going legacy of the exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources by international companies that began with the slave-trade, expanded during colonialism and continues throughout the post-colonial era (detailed in the following learning activities). Reflecting the demographic trends in all of Africa, the DRC is rapidly urbanizing. At its independence in 1960, less than 15% of the population lived in urban areas; the vast majority of the population lived in rural areas. Today, it is estimated that 42.5% of the Congolese live in urban areas. There are five major cities with a population bigger than a million: Kinshasa (10 million), Lubumbashi (nearly 2 million), Mbuji-Mayi (1.5 million), and Kanaga and Kisangani (each with approximately 1 million). Demographers who study population trends in developing countries are concerned with the demands placed on societies by rapid population growth. One of the equations that they use to measure this concern is “population doubling time.” This is the period of time in which a society will need to double its capacity to provide housing, schooling, healthcare and employment for its citizens. Demographers use a very simple equation to determine the number of years that it will take for a given country to double its population: pdt = 70 divided by the population growth rate. Given the information provided above, in what year would we expect that the DRC’s current (2015) population of 79.4 to double to 158.8 million?
Peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In spite of the devastation of the Great African War (1995 – 2007, analyzed in learning activity four of this unit) that caused the death of an estimated seven million Congolese, the DRC remains the fourth most populated country in Africa with a population of 79.4 million (2015), following Nigeria, Ethiopia and Egypt. The DRC’s population is currently growing at 2.7 percent annually. Not unlike most African countries, the population of the DRC is heavily skewed to youth: 44% of the national population is under 24 years of age! Compare this to 32% of the population for the same age group in the U.S. and 24% in Japan. This demographic reality makes great demands on the government and economy of the DRC in terms of providing schooling (and other social services) and opportunities for employment in an economy decimated by war, mismanagement, and the on-going legacy of the exploitation of the DRC’s natural resources by international companies that began with the slave-trade, expanded during colonialism and continues throughout the post-colonial era (detailed in the following learning activities).
Reflecting the demographic trends in all of Africa, the DRC is rapidly urbanizing. At its independence in 1960, less than 15% of the population lived in urban areas; the vast majority of the population lived in rural areas. Today, it is estimated that 42.5% of the Congolese live in urban areas. There are five major cities with a population bigger than a million: Kinshasa (10 million), Lubumbashi (nearly 2 million), Mbuji-Mayi (1.5 million), and Kanaga and Kisangani (each with approximately 1 million).
- Demographers who study population trends in developing countries are concerned with the demands placed on societies by rapid population growth. One of the equations that they use to measure this concern is “population doubling time.” This is the period of time in which a society will need to double its capacity to provide housing, schooling, healthcare and employment for its citizens. Demographers use a very simple equation to determine the number of years that it will take for a given country to double its population: pdt = 70 divided by the population growth rate. Given the information provided above, in what year would we expect that the DRC’s current (2015) population of 79.4 to double to 158.8 million?
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