Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Primary education, pupils, gaps filled was 21.15 million in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
21.15 million
Change on year
up 2.4%
World rank
7th
of 206 countries
All-time high
21.15 million
in 2023
All-time low
3.09 million
in 1971
Years of data
49
1971–2023

Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971–2023

5.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M197119972023

Source: Statizoid (derived).

Analysis

In 2023, primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 21.15 million. That is the highest value across all 49 years on record.

That represents a change of up 2.4% on the previous year and up 67.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 21.15 million in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3.09 million, in 1971.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1971 to 2023.
Year Value Change
1971 3.09 million
1972 3.18 million +3.0%
1973 3.29 million +3.5%
1974 3.36 million +2.2%
1975 3.43 million +2.0%
1976 3.54 million +3.4%
1977 3.64 million +2.8%
1978 3.79 million +4.0%
1979 3.92 million +3.4%
1980 4.05 million +3.5%
1981 4.20 million +3.5%
1982 4.34 million +3.5%
1983 4.50 million +3.5%
1984 4.65 million +3.5%
1985 4.52 million -2.8%
1986 4.65 million +2.8%
1987 4.16 million -10.6%
1988 4.36 million +4.8%
1989 3.89 million -10.6%
1990 3.43 million -11.9%
1991 4.56 million +33.0%
1992 4.62 million +1.3%
1993 4.87 million +5.4%
1994 4.94 million +1.4%
1995 5.42 million +9.7%
1996 5.22 million -3.6%
1997 5.02 million -3.8%
1998 4.83 million -3.9%
1999 4.02 million -16.7%
2000 4.50 million +11.9%
2001 4.98 million +10.6%
2002 5.46 million +9.6%
2007 8.84 million +62.0%
2008 9.97 million +12.8%
2009 10.24 million +2.7%
2010 10.57 million +3.2%
2011 11.08 million +4.8%
2012 12.00 million +8.3%
2013 12.60 million +5.0%
2014 13.53 million +7.4%
2015 13.76 million +1.7%
2016 14.78 million +7.4%
2017 15.79 million +6.9%
2018 16.81 million +6.4%
2019 17.80 million +5.9%
2020 18.79 million +5.6%
2021 20.17 million +7.3%
2022 20.66 million +2.4%
2023 21.15 million +2.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 3.47 million 3.09 million 3.92 million 9
1980s 4.33 million 3.89 million 4.65 million 10
1990s 4.69 million 3.43 million 5.42 million 10
2000s 7.33 million 4.50 million 10.24 million 6
2010s 13.87 million 10.57 million 17.80 million 10
2020s 20.19 million 18.79 million 21.15 million 4

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 4 Indonesia 28.68 million compare
  2. 5 Pakistan 25.38 million compare
  3. 6 United States 23.83 million compare
  4. 8 Bangladesh 16.69 million compare
  5. 9 Ethiopia 15.93 million compare
  6. 10 Egypt 15.40 million compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo was 21.15 million in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
What is the highest primary education, pupils, gaps filled recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 21.15 million in 2023.
What is the lowest primary education, pupils, gaps filled recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 3.09 million in 1971.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for primary education, pupils, gaps filled?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 7th out of 206 countries with data for 2023.
Is primary education, pupils, gaps filled rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 67.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Primary education, pupils, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary education, pupils, gaps filled in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Statizoid (derived). Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/primary-education-pupils-gaps-filled/congo-dem-rep/

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How this figure is calculated

Primary education, pupils with 569 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.

Computed from

Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.

About this data

Indicator
Primary education, pupils, gaps filled
Source
Statizoid (derived)
Licence
Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page
Coverage
251 places, 11,866 data points, 1970–2025
Last refreshed

Primary education, pupils with 569 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.