Polity · 1958 CE – present
Republic of the Congo
République du Congo
Also recorded as Congo-Brazzaville, Congo
- Peak recorded area
- 2,234,560 km²
- 1898 CE
- Rulers on record
- 22
- from 1957 CE
- Data series
- 379
- 1958 CE–2025 CE
Overview
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville, the Congo Republic or simply Congo, is a country located on the western coast of Central Africa to the west of the Congo River. It is bordered to the west by Gabon, to the northwest by Cameroon, to the northeast by the Central African Republic, to the southeast by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south by the Angolan exclave of Cabinda, and to the southwest by the Atlantic Ocean.
Lead section from Wikipedia, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article.
Territory
7 dated territorial extents on record from CShapes 2.0. Areas are measured off the recorded polygons; the line steps because each extent holds until the next one is recorded — nothing is interpolated.
The record
The best-attested series in each category; where several projects publish the same quantity, the one with the most observations is shown. Each row is the most recent value the record holds at or before the last complete year, shown with the year that value belongs to. Some statistical series also publish forward projections — the year column is the honest guide. Nothing on this page is interpolated or estimated by us.
People
6 of 58 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Population216 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 6.5Mpersons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy165 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 66.2years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Net Migration141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | -2,999persons2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Population Growth141 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 2.35% annual2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Female140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 67.94years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
| Life Expectancy Male140 obs · 1950 CE–2025 CE | 64.51years2025 CE · UN World Population Prospects 2024 |
Economy
6 of 149 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| GDP per capita PPP220 obs · 1800 CE–2019 CE | 7,451int'l $ (inflation adj.)2019 CE · Gapminder |
| GDP Current Usd109 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 16.3Bcurrent US$2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| GDP per capita73 obs · 1950 CE–2022 CE | 4,187.512011 int'l $2022 CE · Maddison Project Database 2023 |
| Agriculture % GDP66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 10.11% of GDP2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Industry % GDP66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 35.61% of GDP2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Services % GDP66 obs · 1960 CE–2025 CE | 54.28% of GDP2025 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Military
6 of 36 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Military Expenditure % GDP76 obs · 1970 CE–2024 CE | 1.19% of GDP2024 CE · SIPRI Military Expenditure Database |
| CINC Score57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0.0005CINC (share of world capability)2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Energy Consumption57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 3.2Mcoal-ton equivalents2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Iron Steel Production57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 0tons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Personnel57 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 10Kpersons2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
| Military Expenditure52 obs · 1960 CE–2016 CE | 565Mcurrent USD2016 CE · Correlates of War NMC v6.0 |
Territory & resources
6 of 54 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Arable Land %126 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 1.61% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Oil Production125 obs · 1900 CE–2024 CE | 159.3TWh2024 CE · Our World in Data Energy |
| Forest Area %68 obs · 1990 CE–2023 CE | 64.13% of land area2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Agricultural Land %63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 31.19%2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Arable Land per capita Ha63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 0.089hectares per person2023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Fao Agricultural Land63 obs · 1961 CE–2023 CE | 10.7Mha2023 CE · FAOSTAT |
Governance
6 of 27 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Electoral Democracy Index122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 0.254index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Liberal Democracy Index122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 0.117index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Participatory Democracy Index122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 0.196index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Regime Type122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 1RoW index (0-3)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Rule Of Law Index122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 0.188index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Polity253 obs · 1960 CE–2012 CE | -4index (-10 to 10)2012 CE · Clio-Infra |
Development
6 of 55 series| Series | Value · year · source |
|---|---|
| Freedom Of Expression Index122 obs · 1903 CE–2024 CE | 0.397index (0-1)2024 CE · V-Dem v15 |
| Tech Railway Line Km93 obs · 1905 CE–1998 CE | 820km1998 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Freight Tkm92 obs · 1900 CE–1991 CE | 397tonne-km1991 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Tech Railway Passenger Km75 obs · 1910 CE–1987 CE | 400passenger-km1987 CE · CHAT (Comin-Hobijn) |
| Mobile Subscriptions Per 10051 obs · 1960 CE–2023 CE | 94.87per_1002023 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
| Dpt Immunization %45 obs · 1980 CE–2024 CE | 78%2024 CE · World Bank World Development Indicators |
Rulers
22 on record with dated reigns. Reign years follow the house convention: BCE years are negative.
- Jacques OpangaultPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1957 CE – 1958 CE
- Fulbert YoulouPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1958 CE – 1959 CE
- Fulbert YoulouPresident of the Republic of the Congo1960 CE – 1963 CE
- Alphonse Massamba-DébatPresident of the Republic of the Congo1963 CE – 1968 CE
- Alphonse Massamba-DébatPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1963 CE
- Pascal LissoubaPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1963 CE – 1966 CE
- Alfred RaoulPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1968 CE – 1969 CE
- Alfred RaoulPresident of the Republic of the Congo1968 CE – 1969 CE
- Augustin PoignetPresident of the Republic of the Congo1968 CE
- Marien NgouabiPresident of the Republic of the Congo1968 CE – 1977 CE
- Alfred RaoulVice President of the Republic of the Congo1970 CE – 1971 CE
- Henri LopèsPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1973 CE – 1975 CE
- Joachim Yhombi-OpangoPresident of the Republic of the Congo1977 CE – 1979 CE
- Alphonse Poaty-SouchlatyPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1989 CE – 1990 CE
- Pascal LissoubaPresident of the Republic of the Congo1992 CE – 1997 CE
- Joachim Yhombi-OpangoPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1993 CE – 1996 CE
- Charles David GanaoPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1996 CE – 1997 CE
- Bernard KolélasPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo1997 CE
- Denis Sassou-NguessoHead of State1997 CE –
- Isidore MvoubaPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo2005 CE – 2009 CE
- Clément MouambaPrime Minister of the Republic of the Congo2016 CE – 2021 CE
- Anatole Collinet MakossoHead of Government2021 CE –
Country profile
From the CIA World Factbook 2024. Long entries are trimmed at a sentence boundary.
- Location
- Central Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and Gabon
- Government type
- presidential republic
- Executive branch
- chief of state: President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso (since 1997); head of government: Prime Minister Anatole Collinet MAKOSSO (since 12 May 2021); cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president;
- Ethnic groups
- Kongo (Bakongo) 40.5%, Teke 16.9%, Mbochi 13.1%, foreigner 8.2%, Sangha 5.6%, Mbere/Mbeti/Kele 4.4%, Punu 4.3%, Pygmy 1.6%, Oubanguiens 1.6%, Duma 1.5%, Makaa 1.3%, other and unspecified 1% (2014-15 est.)
- Natural resources
- petroleum, timber, potash, lead, zinc, uranium, copper, phosphates, gold, magnesium, natural gas, hydropower
- Economy
- primarily an oil- and natural resources-based economy; recovery from mid-2010s oil devaluation has been slow and curtailed by COVID-19; extreme poverty increasing, particularly in southern rural regions; attempting to implement recommended CEMAC reforms; increasing likelihood of debt default
Language & currency
- Official & national languages
- French
- Currency
- Cooperation Financiere en Afrique Centrale francs (XAF)
Memberships
- United NationsUNInternational organisation · member1960 CE –
- 4-member Defense Pact (1960)Military alliance · member1960 CE – 1978 CE
- 14-member Defense Pact (1961)Military alliance · member1961 CE – 1964 CE
- Central African Republic–Chad–Congo Defense Pact (1968)Military alliance · member1968 CE – 1968 CE
- Russia–Congo Entente (1981)Historical alliance · member1981 CE – 1991 CE
- Central African Republic–Congo Defense Pact (1998)Military alliance · member1998 CE –
- Congo–Democratic Republic of the Congo Non-Aggression Pact (1998)Historical alliance · member1998 CE –
- 4-member Defense Pact (1999)Military alliance · member1999 CE – 2001 CE
- 11-member Defense Pact (2000)Military alliance · member2000 CE –
- African UnionAUInternational organisation · member2002 CE –
- 11-member Defense Pact (2006)Military alliance · member2006 CE –
Sources
Every figure above comes from one of these. Nothing on this page is estimated, interpolated or model-generated.
CHAT (Comin-Hobijn)2009 (FinalCHAT_72909)
Comin, D. & Hobijn, B. (2009). The CHAT Dataset. NBER Working Paper 15319.
NBER research data, freely downloadable
CIA World Factbook 2024
Clio-Infra2017 datasets
Clio-Infra project (2017). Reconstructions of global inequality and well-being. International Institute of Social History.
Academic use, attribution
Correlates of War NMC v6.0v6.0
Singer, J.D. (1987). National Material Capabilities Data (NMC), v6.0. Correlates of War Project.
Free academic use, citation
CShapes 2.02.0
Schvitz, G. et al. (2022). Mapping the International System, 1886-2019: The CShapes 2.0 Dataset. Journal of Conflict Resolution 66(1).
CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
FAOSTAT2024 release
FAO (2024). FAOSTAT Statistical Database. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome.
CC BY 4.0
Gapminderv14 / systema globalis
Gapminder Foundation. Gapminder systema globalis dataset.
CC BY 4.0
Maddison Project Database 20232023
Bolt, J. & van Zanden, J.L. (2024). Maddison Project Database 2023. University of Groningen GGDC.
CC BY 4.0
Our World in Data (2024). Energy dataset. Based on Energy Institute & Ember.
CC BY 4.0
SIPRI Military Expenditure Database2024
SIPRI (2024). Military Expenditure Database.
Free for non-commercial use, attribution
UN World Population Prospects 20242024
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2024). World Population Prospects 2024.
CC BY 3.0 IGO
V-Dem v15v15
Coppedge, M. et al. (2025). V-Dem Country-Year Dataset v15. Varieties of Democracy Project.
Free academic/non-commercial use, attribution
Wikipedia contributors. Article lead sections, reused under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
World Bank World Development Indicators2024 release
World Bank (2024). World Development Indicators. Washington, DC.
CC BY 4.0
Republic of the Congo is one of the polities with a sourced record deep enough to publish.