s, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population
by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 48.2% (male 13,369,493; female 13,256,174) 15-64 years:
(male 581,568; female 813,944) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.79% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 45.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 14.93 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: one million
refugees fled into Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo
or DROC) in 1994 as a result of the ethnic fighting in Rwanda; fighting
in the DROC between rebels and government forces in October 1996 caused
875,000 refugees to return to Rwanda in late 1996 and early 1997 and
additional refugees have returned in subsequent years; fighting between
the Congolese government and Uganda- and Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels
spawned a regional war in DROC in August 1998, which left 1.8 million
Congolese displaced in DROC and caused 300,000 Congolese refugees to
flee to surrounding countries (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 98.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 51.13 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 6.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 5.07% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.1 million (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 95,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Congolese (singular and plural) adjective: Congolese
or Congo

Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority
are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu),
and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim
10%, other syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs 10%

Languages: French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language),
Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala,
Kingwana, or Tshiluba total population: 77.3% male: 86.6% female: 67.7%
(1995 est.)

Government Congo, Democratic Republic of the

Country name: conven