Population 2,658,123 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 43% (male 569,382; female 563,327)
15-64 years: 54% (male 700,507; female 734,447)
65 years and over: 3% (male 36,383; female 54,077) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate 2.21% (1998 est.)

Birth rate 38.5 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate 16.45 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate 102.69 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
total population: 47.07 years
male: 45.29 years
female: 48.89 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate 4.98 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups Kongo 48%, Sangha 20%, M'Bochi 12%, Teke 17%, Europeans NA%; note - Europeans estimated at 8,500, mostly French, before the 1997 civil war; may be half of that in 1998, following the widespread destruction of foreign businesses in 1997

Religions Christian 50%, animist 48%, Muslim 2%

Languages French (official), Lingala and Monokutuba (lingua franca trade languages), many local languages and dialects (of which Kikongo has the most users)

Literacy
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.9%
male: 83.1%
female: 67.2% (1995 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Congo, Republic of the on this page is re-published from the 1998 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Congo, Republic of the People 1998 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Congo, Republic of the People 1998 should be addressed to the CIA.