Economy Overview
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast natural resource wealth - continues to perform poorly. Systemic corruption since independence in 1960, combined with countrywide instability and intermittent conflict that began in the early-90s, has reduced national output and government revenue, and increased external debt. With the installation of a transitional government in 2003 after peace accords, economic conditions slowly began to improve as the government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA began implementing reforms. Progress on implementing substantive economic reforms remains slow because of political instability, bureaucratic inefficiency, corruption, and patronage, which also dampen international investment prospects.Renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth until 2015, but low commodity prices have led to slower growth, volatile inflation, currency depreciation, and a growing fiscal deficit. An uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems for the large mining sector and for the economy as a whole. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector and is not reflected in GDP data.Poverty remains widespread in DRC, and the country failed to meet any Millennium Development Goals by 2015. DRC also concluded its program with the IMF in 2015. The price of copper – the DRC’s primary export - plummeted in 2015 and remained at record lows during 2016-17, reducing government revenues, expenditures, and foreign exchange reserves, while inflation reached nearly 50% in mid-2017 – its highest level since the early 2000s.
Agriculture Products
cassava, plantains, sugar cane, maize, oil palm fruit, rice, roots/tubers nes, bananas, sweet potatoes, groundnuts
Industries
mining (copper, cobalt, gold, diamonds, coltan, zinc, tin, tungsten), mineral processing, consumer products (textiles, plastics, footwear, cigarettes), metal products, processed foods and beverages, timber, cement, commercial ship repair
Industrial Production Growth Rate
1.6% (2017 est.)
Labor Force
20.692 million (2012 est.)
Labor Force by Occupation
Agriculture: NA
Industry: NA
Services: NA
Population Below Poverty Line
63% (2014 est.)
Household Income or Consumption by Percentage Share
Lowest 10%: 2.3%
Highest 10%: 34.7% (2006)
Distribution of Family Income Gini Index
42.1 (2012 est.)
Budget
Revenues: 4.634 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 5.009 billion (2017 est.)
Budget Surplus
-0.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Public Debt
0: 18.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
1: 19.3% of GDP (2016 est.)
Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate
Market Value of Publicly Traded Shares
Reserves of Foreign Exchange and Gold
0: $457.5 million (31 December 2017 est.)
1: $708.2 million (31 December 2016 est.)
Debt External
0: $4.963 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
1: $5.35 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment at Home
Stock of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad
Exchange Rates
0: Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar -
1: 1,546.8 (2017 est.)
2: 1,010.3 (2016 est.)
3: 1,010.3 (2015 est.)
4: 925.99 (2014 est.)
5: 925.23 (2013 est.)
