Country Profile Republic of the Congo

The Congo, also known as the Republic of Congo, is located in the central-western part of sub-Saharan Africa, along the equator. This country recently gained its independence from French colonial rule in 1960 and has undergone many changes since then. In 1997, the Republic of Congo Civil War put a new regime in power, one that has been accused of corruption and human rights violations. Interestingly, the Congo is the first African nation to have adopted a law that protects the rights of its indigenous people.

This country has a population of approximately 3.6 million, with a very large 62 percent of them living in urban areas. This number is almost twice the regional average and 12 percent more than the global average, which is unusual for a country in this area. Income per capita is slightly higher than average, though with the abundance of oil, natural gas, and diamonds, it is painfully obvious that most of the wealth of the country is going into the hands of a very few people.

The life expectancy in the Congo is the same as the regional average, though much less than the global average – a common trait of African nations. Since the 2003 election of President Sassou, the Republic of Congo has seen a rapid rise in healthcare-related expenditure and immunizations (which dropped significantly during the civil war) have risen again, surpassing the regional average. HIV is still prevalent, though significantly lower than Congo’s neighbors.

Despite the increase in health care spending, there is still a very small medical workforce. There is only one doctor (less than one-half of the regional average) and slightly more than eight nurses and midwives (around 80 percent of average) per 10,000 people.

Twenty years ago, the infant mortality rate was very high, since then is has lowered steadily while the regional average has risen. The Republic of Congo is now on par with its neighbors. Most of the deaths, approximately 54 percent, are disease related; 25 percent are from birth complications. The difference between the rich and poor of the population is very noticeable, with the poorest 20 percent of the population having an infant mortality rate that averages 40 percent higher than that of the wealthiest 20 percent.

There are significantly more doctor-attended births in the Congo, though there is a marked disparity between the rich and poor classes. 98 percent of the wealthiest citizens of the Congo receive a doctor’s care while only 67 percent of the poorest do. This pattern repeats itself in the number of immunizations.

There have been almost no improvements in sanitation or clean drinking-water availability over the years. The sanitation efficiency remains very low, indicating high pollution. The percentage of clean-drinking water remains very high for the urban population and very low for the rural population. This is one more sign of the wealth disparity that permeates the country’s availability of resources.

The extremely high levels of urbanization in the Republic of Congo have created a barrier between urban and rural populations. Most government spending on improvements appears to be going towards medical services for the wealthy and city-dwellers. The Congo has all the signs of a developing nation concentrating on an urban infrastructure for economic growth. There are still some internal conflicts in this country and the possibility of another civil war erupting is present, but if the Republic of Congo can get past these problems, continued development of basic services is likely to make its way to the rural population.