Published: November 12, 2026
About one Congolese in six is Kongo. The Kongo lead DR Congo with 19.0 million people, but the lead is a close one: the Luba follow with 17.1 million, and some sources rank the Luba first. DR Congo has had no ethnic census since 1984, so every figure in this ranking is an estimate, built on the only itemised count available.
The ranking uses Joshua Project counts for the country's people groups, set against DR Congo's 2026 population of 116,452,162 from the United Nations World Population Prospects. The CIA World Factbook publishes no per-group shares for DR Congo, only that the four largest groups make up about 45 percent of the country. This is the fifth entry in our series ranking the tribes of every African country, after Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya.
Key Facts
- The Kongo rank first with 19.0 million people, 16.33 percent of DR Congo, 1.11 times the Luba in second place.
- The Kongo and Luba together number 36.2 million people, 31.05 percent of the country, nearly one in three Congolese, yet neither group is anywhere near a majority.
- The top five groups hold 49.6 million people, 42.56 percent of DR Congo, still under half the country.
- The ten ranked groups together cover 61.1 million people, 52.47 percent of DR Congo. The rest is spread across more than 200 smaller groups.
- The Luba alone, at 17.1 million people, are 2.23 times the Mongo in third place, and the cut at ten is tight: the Shi edge the Lendu by only 40,000 people.
| Rank | Tribe | Share of DR Congo | Population (2026) | Main Homeland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kongo | 16.33% | 19,021,000 | Kinshasa and Kongo Central, west |
| 2 | Luba | 14.72% | 17,143,000 | Kasai and Katanga, south-central |
| 3 | Mongo | 6.60% | 7,686,000 | Equateur, central Congo basin |
| 4 | Songye | 2.58% | 3,003,000 | East Kasai and Sankuru, central |
| 5 | Nande | 2.33% | 2,712,000 | North Kivu, east |
| 6 | Azande | 2.23% | 2,598,000 | Uele region, north-east |
| 7 | Ngbaka | 2.10% | 2,444,000 | Ubangi River, far north |
| 8 | Mangbetu | 1.96% | 2,278,000 | Haut-Uele, north-east |
| 9 | Tetela | 1.93% | 2,252,000 | Sankuru, central |
| 10 | Shi | 1.69% | 1,964,000 | South Kivu, east |
The shares in this table are each group's Joshua Project count divided by the 2026 population. Where Joshua Project splits one people by language, the entries are combined: Kongo combines four entries, Luba two, and Mongo two. Lingala is left out because it is a language, not a tribe. The Methodology gives the full detail.
The first name outside the ranking is the Lendu, at 1,924,000 people in 2026, just 40,000 behind the Shi. The Lendu live in Ituri province in the north-east. The next group, the Yaka, is further behind at 1,677,000 people, so the cut at ten turns on a genuinely close margin.
1. Kongo: 19,021,000
The Kongo are the people of western DR Congo, in Kinshasa and Kongo Central province, around the mouth of the Congo River. They speak Kikongo, one of the country's four national languages. Their kingdom ran from the 14th to the 19th century and was one of Africa's great trading states. At 16.33 percent, the Kongo are the largest group on the only itemised count available, but the lead is narrow: they sit 1,878,000 people ahead of the Luba, and some sources rank the Luba first.
2. Luba: 17,143,000
The Luba are the people of the south-central country, in Kasai and Katanga. They speak two related languages, Tshiluba in Kasai and Kiluba in Katanga, and this ranking counts both branches together as one people. The Luba kingdom coalesced around 1500 and peaked in the 18th and 19th centuries. At 14.72 percent, the Luba number 2.23 times the Mongo in third place.
3. Mongo: 7,686,000
The Mongo are the people of the central Congo basin, in Equateur province and the rainforest around the Congo River. They speak Lomongo and are made of many related clans and subgroups, including the Ekonda, counted with them here. At 6.60 percent, the Mongo are the first group below ten million people, and the gap behind them is wide: the Songye in fourth place number less than half as many.
4. Songye: 3,003,000
The Songye live in the centre of the country, in East Kasai and Sankuru, between the Sankuru and Lualaba rivers. They are known for their Kifwebe masks and power figures, which are among the most famous art of Central Africa. At 2.58 percent, the Songye are the largest group below the big three, and they sit 291,000 people ahead of the Nande.
5. Nande: 2,712,000
The Nande live in North Kivu in the east, around Beni and Butembo, near the border with Uganda. They are the largest group of the Kivu provinces. At 2.33 percent, the Nande sit 114,000 people ahead of the Azande below them.
6. Azande: 2,598,000
The Azande live in the north-east, in the Uele region, and across the border in South Sudan and the Central African Republic. The CIA World Factbook groups them with the Mangbetu as "Mangbetu-Azande", but they are distinct peoples and are ranked separately here. At 2.23 percent, the Azande sit 154,000 people ahead of the Ngbaka.
7. Ngbaka: 2,444,000
The Ngbaka live in the far north, along the Ubangi River on the Gemena Plateau, near the border with the Central African Republic. They are farmers of manioc, maize, sorghum and bananas. At 2.10 percent, the Ngbaka sit 166,000 people ahead of the Mangbetu.
8. Mangbetu: 2,278,000
The Mangbetu live in the north-east, in Haut-Uele, and are known for their art, music and court culture. They are counted separately from the Azande here, although the Factbook lists the two together. At 1.96 percent, the Mangbetu sit only 26,000 people ahead of the Tetela.
9. Tetela: 2,252,000
The Tetela live in Sankuru province in the centre of the country. They speak Tetela and are sometimes grouped with the wider Mongo peoples, but they are ranked on their own here. At 1.93 percent, the Tetela sit 288,000 people ahead of the Shi.
10. Shi: 1,964,000
The Shi, also called the Mashi, live in South Kivu in the east, around Bukavu on Lake Kivu. They are the smallest group in the ranking and the last above 1.9 million people. At 1.69 percent, the Shi close the ranking just 40,000 people ahead of the Lendu.
Frequently Asked Questions
How were the 2026 figures worked out?
Each figure is a Joshua Project in-country count for the group, and the share is that count divided by DR Congo's 2026 population of 116,452,162 from the United Nations World Population Prospects. Where Joshua Project splits one people by language, the entries are added together, and the combinations are listed in the Methodology. The figures are estimates, not a census count.
Why are there no census figures for DR Congo's tribes?
DR Congo has had only one census, in 1984. A second census began collecting data in 2020, but no ethnic results from it have been published. That is why this ranking uses Joshua Project counts and the Factbook's broad check, and why every figure is labelled an estimate.
Why do some sources call the Luba the largest group?
Because the order at the top depends on how the groups are counted. On the single itemised count used here, the Kongo lead the Luba by 1,878,000 people, 19.0 million against 17.1 million. Other sources use older shares that put the Luba at 18 percent and the Kongo at 12 percent, which reverses the order. The two groups are close, and this article states the near-tie openly rather than presenting one order as settled.
Are Lingala and Swahili tribes?
No. They are lingua francas, trade languages spoken across many groups. Lingala alone counts 5,091,000 speakers in Joshua Project's list, which would put it third if it were ranked, so it is left out. The same rule kept Afrikaans and English out of the South Africa ranking.
Why are the Mangbetu and Azande ranked separately?
The CIA World Factbook lists them together as "Mangbetu-Azande", a grouping from the colonial era. They are distinct peoples, one Central Sudanic and one Ubangian, so this ranking counts them apart: the Azande at 2,598,000 and the Mangbetu at 2,278,000. Together they number 4,876,000 people, 4.19 percent of the country.
Data Sources
- Joshua Project, "Congo, Democratic Republic of people groups" (in-country counts, read November 12, 2026): joshuaproject.net
- CIA World Factbook, Democratic Republic of the Congo, ethnic groups ("the four largest tribes, Mongo, Luba, Kongo and the Mangbetu-Azande, make up about 45% of the population"): cia.gov/the-world-factbook
- United Nations, World Population Prospects (DR Congo population, 2026: 116,452,162), as used in our ranking of every African country's 2026 population: africanexponent.com
- Wikipedia, "Demographics of the Democratic Republic of the Congo" (more than 250 ethnic groups; only census in 1984): en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Kongo people" (Kongo Kingdom, 14th to 19th century; subgroups including Yombe): en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Luba people" (Luba Kingdom; Baluba subgroups): en.wikipedia.org
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Democratic Republic of the Congo, People" (more than 200 ethnic groups; national languages): britannica.com
- WorldAtlas, "Ethnic Groups In The Democratic Republic Of The Congo" (Luba, Kongo and Mongo rankings): worldatlas.com
Methodology
DR Congo has had no ethnic census since 1984, and the CIA World Factbook publishes no per-group percentages for the country. The Factbook states only that the four largest groups, Mongo, Luba, Kongo and Mangbetu-Azande, make up about 45 percent of the population. This ranking is therefore built on Joshua Project's in-country people-group counts, which list 231 groups totalling 115,512,000 people, plus 940,000 unclassified, against the United Nations 2026 total of 116,452,162. Each share is the group's Joshua Project count divided by 116,452,162. The 2026 population figure is the one used in our ranking of every African country's 2026 population.
Where Joshua Project splits one people by language, the entries are combined and the combination is stated. Kongo combines Kongo, Tuba (13,569,000), Kongo (2,706,000), Kongo, San Salvador (1,226,000) and Yombe (1,520,000). Luba combines Luba-Lulua (12,457,000) and Luba-Bambo (4,686,000). Mongo combines Mongo (3,913,000) and its Ekonda subgroup (3,773,000). Lingala (5,091,000) is excluded because Lingala is a lingua franca, not an ethnic group. The Sanga (Luba Garenganze) are not counted inside Luba, and Mangbetu and Azande are ranked separately rather than as the Factbook's combined "Mangbetu-Azande". The Kongo and Luba totals are close, 19.0 million against 17.1 million, and some sources rank the Luba first; the order between them depends on the source, and this article follows the single itemised count. Figures are estimates, not census results. Every derived claim in the article was recomputed from the final table values by script before publication.
