STATISTICS: CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE

Congo, Democratic Republic of the Official name: Rpublique Democratique du Congo (Democratic Republic of the Congo). Form of government: transitional military regime{1}. Chief of state: President. Capital: Kinshasa. Official languages: French; English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: Congolese franc (FC){2}; valuation (June 17, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = FC 1.4; 1 = FC 0.8. Demography Population (1998): 49,001,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 54.1, persons per sq km 20.9. Urban-rural (1995): urban 29.1%; rural 70.9%. Sex distribution (1995): male 49.41%; female 50.59%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 47.3%; 15-29, 25.9%; 30-44, 14.1%; 45-59, 8.1%; 60-74, 3.8%; 75 and over, 0.8%. Population projection: (2000) 51,988,000; (2010) 70,276,000. Ethnic composition (1983): Luba 18.0%; Kongo 16.1%; Mongo 13.5%; Rwanda 10.3%; Azande 6.1%; Bangi and Ngale 5.8%; Rundi 3.8%; Teke 2.7%; Boa 2.3%; Chokwe 1.8%; Lugbara 1.6%; Banda 1.4%; other 16.6%. Religious affiliation (1995): Roman Catholic 41.0%; Protestant 32.0%; indigenous Christian 13.4%, of which Kimbanguist 13.0%; other Christian 0.8%; Muslim 1.4%; traditional beliefs and other 11.4%. Major cities (1994): Kinshasa 4,655,313; Lubumbashi 851,381; Mbuji-Mayi 806,475; Kisangani 417,517; Kananga 393,030. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 47.5 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 14.5 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1990-95): 33.0 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1990-95): 6.7. Life expectancy at birth (1990-95): male 50.4 years; female 53.7 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population: n.a.; however, major causes in the early 1990s included malaria, measles, diarrhea, acute respiratory infections, and AIDS. National economy Budget (1996). Revenue: U.S.$374,000,000 (customs duties and taxes on international trade 33.4%; taxes on mining production 11.2%; other revenues 55.3%). Expenditures: U.S.$1,163,000,000 (debt service 71.5%, of which external 62.7%, domestic 8.8%; wages and salaries 6.4%; foreign-financed capital expenditure 5.2%). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$9,262,000,000. Land use (1994): forested 76.7%; meadows and pastures 6.6%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 3.5%; other 13.2%. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): cassava 18,000,000, plantains 2,270,000, sugarcane 1,300,000, corn (maize) 1,100,000, peanuts (groundnuts) 580,000, rice 430,000, bananas 412,000, sweet potatoes 410,000, yams 315,000, mangoes 212,000, papayas 210,000, palm oil 181,000, oranges 156,000, pineapples 145,000, dry beans 125,000, seed cotton 77,000, palm kernels 72,000, coffee 60,000, natural rubber 11,000{3}; livestock (number of live animals) 4,172,000 goats, 1,480,000 cattle, 1,157,000 pigs, 1,043,000 sheep, 34,000,000 chickens; roundwood (1995) 48,747,000 cu m; fish catch (1995) 158,627. Mining and quarrying (1996): copper (metal content) 39,647; cobalt (metal content) 4,041; zinc (metal content) 3,162; gold 1,252 kg; diamonds 22,240,000 carats. Manufacturing (1995): iron and steel 965,000; cement 194,000; sugar 82,461; soap 46,773; tires 50,000 units; printed fabrics 15,728,000 sq m; matches 3,305,000 packs; shoes 1,600,000 pairs; beer 1,781,000 hectolitres; soft drinks 807,000 hectolitres. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 5,545,000,000 (4,523,000,000); coal (metric tons; 1995) 14,400 ( 136,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 1995) 10,087,000 ( 2,782,000); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) 350,000 (1,024,000); natural gas, none (none). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1982) 6.0; average annual income per household Z 1,200{2} (U.S.$209); sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1985): food 61.7%, housing and energy 11.5%, clothing and footwear 9.7%, transportation 5.9%, furniture and utensils 4.9%. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$5,727,000,000 (U.S.$130 per capita). Population economically active (1991): total 13,848,000; activity rate 35.9% (participation rates : over age 10, 57.4%; female 40.8%). Tourism (1993): receipts U.S.$6,000,000; expenditures U.S.$16,000,000. Foreign trade{4} Imports (1995): U.S.$870,200,000 (non-oil 94.0%; oil 6.0%). Major import sources{5}{6} (1995): Belgium-Luxembourg 15.0%; U.S. 6.7%; Germany 6.0%; France 4.2%; The Netherlands 4.0%; China 3.6%; Italy 3.3%. Exports (1995): U.S.$1,451,500,000 (diamonds 17.2%, crude petroleum 11.4%, coffee 8.8%, copper 7.9%). Major export destinations{5} (1995): Belgium-Luxembourg 36.3%; U.S. 16.9%; Italy 9.7%; Japan 5.0%. Transport Transport. Railroads (1994){7}: length (1996) 5,138 km; passenger-km 29,000,000; metric ton-km cargo 176,000,000. Roads (1995): total length 154,027 km (paved 2%). Vehicles (1995): passenger cars 762,000; trucks and buses 55,000. Air transport (1991){8}: passenger-km 144,242,000; metric ton-km cargo 21,046,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 22. Education and health Educational attainment: n.a. Literacy (1995): percentage of total population age 15 and over literate 77.3%; males literate 86.6%; females literate 67.7%. Health: physicians (1990) 2,469 (1 per 15,584 persons); hospital beds (1986) 68,508 (1 per 487 persons); infant mortality rate (1990-95) 93. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 1,879 (vegetable products 97%, animal products 3%); 85% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1997): Former Zairean armed forces disbanded 1997; some 20,000-40,000 personnel of the Congo Liberation Army subsequently constituted the national armed forces. Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1995): 0.3% (world 2.8%); per capita expenditure U.S.$0. {1} From May 1997; new draft constitution was under review in 1998. {2} The new zare (NZ) replaced the (old) zare (Z) at a rate of 3,000,000 (old) zares to 1 NZ on Oct. 22, 1993; the Congolese franc (FC) replaced the new zare (NZ) at a rate of FC 1 to NZ 100,000 on July 1, 1998. {3} 1995. {4} Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. {5} DOT (Direction of Trade) valuation; the valuation as the sum of all known trading partners, by external analysis, rather than as the reported sum of the country's own trade data. {6} The DOT valuation is approximately 45% higher than values shown. {7} Traffic statistics are for services operated by the Zaire National Railways (SNCZ), which controls more than 90% of the country's total rail facility. {8} Air Zaire only; declared bankrupt 1995.