The African Development Bank Group (Afdb) has committed $80 million to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s first population and housing census in more than four decades, in a move expected to strengthen economic planning, public policy, and institutional capacity.
The funding will support the country’s second General Population and Housing Census (RGPH2), with the announcement made during a donor roundtable in Kinshasa on 23 March 2026. According to the Bank, its contribution forms a major share of the roughly $200 million pledged by development partners for the exercise.
The last census in the DRC was conducted in 1984, and officials say the country has since experienced profound demographic change, with its population now estimated at more than 112.8 million people. The updated count is expected to provide a more reliable statistical foundation for national development planning, budgeting, and service delivery.
Under the financing package, $50 million will go directly toward census operations, while $30 million will be used for capacity building across national institutions, including the National Institute of Statistics (INS) and agencies involved in planning, programming, budgeting, monitoring, and evaluation.
President Félix Tshisekedi described the census as more than a technical exercise, calling it a moment for the country to “know each other better,” to “govern itself better,” and “plan better.” He also warned that continuing to govern without “reliable and up-to-date data” would weaken the state’s ability to respond effectively to citizens’ needs.
AfDB officials said the intervention is intended to improve the effectiveness, transparency, and sustainability of the process while helping strengthen the institutions needed to translate data into public policy outcomes.
Other development partners that announced support include the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the United Nations, while Côte d’Ivoire pledged assistance for data collection equipment and knowledge exchange. The Congolese government has already committed $30 million from its national budget.
The census is expected to play a critical role in improving the DRC’s ability to design evidence-based policy, target infrastructure and social investment, and support long-term economic transformation in one of Africa’s largest and most populous economies.
