|
People
Population
The population of the Republic of Congo (RC) is about four million, giving the country an overall population density of eight people per sq. km (20 per sq. mi.).
Cultural Demography
The population of the Republic of Congo comprises four major ethnic groups divided into about 75 smaller groups. The Kongo is the largest ethnic group -- comprising around one-half of the total population and occupying the section southwest of Brazzaville. The M'Bochi live in the area where the savanna and forest meet in the northern region; the Sangha also inhabit the northern forest zone; and the Teke live in the central region. About 12,000 pygmies also live in the country.
About half the population follows traditional religious beliefs. The other half are Christian, primarily members of the Roman Catholic Church, which had nearly one million adherents in the Congo in the early 1990s. Muslims make up two percent of the population.
Although French is the official language of the Republic of Congo, most people speak an African language.
Health and Welfare
The Republic of Congo has a rapidly growing, relatively young population. More than 40 percent are under age 15. The birth and death rates are both high by world standards, though they are average for sub-Saharan Africa. With more than half of the population living in urban areas, the Congo is one of the most highly urbanized countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy is low, at about 54.91 years of age -- 53.62 years of age for men and 56.25 years of age for women, according to recent estimates. The infant mortality rate is about 81.29 deaths per 1,000 live births. The literacy rate is 83.8 percent ( 89.6 percent for males and 78.4 percent for females.
About 1.9 percent of GDP in this country is spent on educational expenditures. About three percent of GDP in this country is spent on health expenditures. The risk of infectious diseases in this country is very high. Food or waterborne diseases include bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever; vectorborne diseases include malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness); animal contact diseases include rabies; water contact diseases include schistosomiasis (2009).
In the Republic of Congo, the rate of HIV/AID infection is 4.9 percent. The population that has been hardest hit by AIDS as a result of war is rural women. Adding to this problem is that with the country also has the highest rate of female infertility in the world. There is a Congolese saying that "an infertile woman is like a fruitless tree that should be chopped down." This reflects upon the savage treatment of infertile women. The combined effects of social and political instability, increased HIV and infertility have left women in this country in a desperate position.
Human Development
One notable indicator used to measure a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which is compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main areas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a ranking of 169 countries and territories, the HDI places the Republic of Congo near the bottom of the medium human development category, at 126th place.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.
Written by Dr. Denise Youngblood Coleman, Editor in Chief, www.countrywatch.com; see Bibliograpy for list of research sources. Supplementary source: Amnesty International.
|