Number of people using the Internet in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Number of people using the Internet was 16.02 million users in 2021. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2021)
16.02 million users
Change on year
up 15.0%
World rank
46th
of 207 countries
All-time high
16.02 million users
in 2021
All-time low
0 users
in 1990
Years of data
26
1990–2021

Number of people using the Internet in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1990–2021

05.0M10.0M15.0M1990200520211990: 0 users1996: 48.9 users1997: 97.1 users1998: 195.3 users1999: 494 users2000: 3.0k users2001: 6.0k users2002: 49.9k users2003: 74.7k users2004: 111.8k users2005: 139.9k users2006: 179.5k users2007: 231.2k users2008: 283.3k users2009: 371.9k users2010: 493.7k users2011: 850.2k users2012: 1.2M users2013: 1.7M users2014: 2.4M users2015: 3.1M users2016: 8.5M users2018: 10.5M users2019: 12.1M users2020: 13.9M users2021: 16.0M users

Source: World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in. Measured in users.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of people using the internet in Democratic Republic of Congo is 16.02 million users, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.

The figure is up 15.0% on the previous year and up 1,784.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of people using the internet in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 16.02 million users in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0 users, in 1990.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th of 207 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 167.08 users 0 users 494.02 users 5
2000s 145,110 users 2,981 users 371,907 users 10
2010s 4.53 million users 493,654 users 12.11 million users 9
2020s 14.98 million users 13.93 million users 16.02 million users 2

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 43 Chile 17.56 million users compare
  2. 44 Netherlands 16.32 million users compare
  3. 45 Romania 16.09 million users compare
  4. 47 Tanzania 14.37 million users compare
  5. 48 Kenya 14.35 million users compare
  6. 49 Ecuador 12.22 million users compare

See the full ranking of 207 places →

More science & technology data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of people using the internet in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Number of people using the internet in Democratic Republic of Congo was 16.02 million users in 2021, according to World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in.
What is the highest number of people using the internet recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 16.02 million users in 2021.
What is the lowest number of people using the internet recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 0 users in 1990.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for number of people using the internet?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 46th out of 207 countries with data for 2021.
Is number of people using the internet rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 1,784.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in, published as part of Number of people using the Internet. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of people using the Internet
Unit
users
Source
World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database - International Telecommunication Union (ITU), via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
207 places, 5,658 data points, 1990–2021
Last refreshed

The number of individuals using the Internet.