MIDDLE AFRICA

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Kinshasa · pop. 113M · French, Kikongo, Lingala · Congolese franc

conflict

4 events · 28 killed · 28 civilians

Aug 25–31, the latest week from UCDP

Trajectories

economic complexity

#144

Sliding in the complexity rankings, from #136 in 1995.

2024 · −3.13

Harvard Growth Lab · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers30

when	value	change
1995	−2.03
1996	−2.02	0 pts
1997	−2.44	−0.42 pts
1998	−2.48	−0.04 pts
1999	−2.66	−0.18 pts
2000	−1.90	+0.76 pts
2001	−2.29	−0.39 pts
2002	−2.11	+0.18 pts
2003	−2.00	+0.11 pts
2004	−2.30	−0.30 pts
2005	−2.24	+0.06 pts
2006	−2.00	+0.25 pts
2007	−1.98	+0.02 pts
2008	−2.16	−0.19 pts
2009	−2.02	+0.14 pts
2010	−1.31	+0.71 pts
2011high	−0.26	+1.05 pts
2012	−1.85	−1.59 pts
2013	−1.88	−0.03 pts
2014	−2.32	−0.43 pts
2015	−1.75	+0.57 pts
2016	−1.70	+0.05 pts
2017	−1.67	+0.03 pts
2018	−2.07	−0.40 pts
2019	−2.04	+0.03 pts
2020	−2.13	−0.08 pts
2021	−2.46	−0.33 pts
2022	−2.52	−0.06 pts
2023	−2.45	+0.07 pts
2024latest	−3.13	−0.68 pts

economic momentum

$649

Roughly doubled since 2000. GDP per head in 2024, in current US dollars.

2024 · $649

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers35

when	value	change
1990	$255
1991	$254	−0.4%
1992	$210	−17.4%
1993	$263	+25.6%
1994	$137	−48.1%
1995	$127	−7.0%
1996	$127	+0.3%
1997	$132	+3.9%
1998	$131	−0.7%
1999low	$96	−26.7%
2000	$378	+292.4%
2001	$143	−62.2%
2002	$162	+13.8%
2003	$161	−0.5%
2004	$181	+11.9%
2005	$215	+18.8%
2006	$255	+19.1%
2007	$294	+15.1%
2008	$353	+20.0%
2009	$280	−20.6%
2010	$352	+25.8%
2011	$373	+5.7%
2012	$410	+10.0%
2013	$460	+12.3%
2014	$489	+6.3%
2015	$496	+1.4%
2016	$460	−7.3%
2017	$431	−6.2%
2018	$518	+20.2%
2019	$504	−2.7%
2020	$486	−3.5%
2021	$596	+22.5%
2022high	$688	+15.4%
2023	$660	−4.0%
2024latest	$649	−1.6%

prices

2.9%

A year’s rise in consumer prices, in 2016. The world’s median was 2.0%.

2016 · 2.9%

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median

the numbers27

when	value	change
1990	81.3%
1991	2,154%	+2073 pts
1992	4,129%	+1975 pts
1993	1,987%	−2142 pts
1994high	23,773%	+21786 pts
1995	542%	−23231 pts
1996	492%	−49.5 pts
1997	199%	−294 pts
1998	29.1%	−169 pts
1999	285%	+256 pts
2000	514%	+229 pts
2001	360%	−154 pts
2002	31.5%	−328 pts
2003	12.9%	−18.6 pts
2004	4.0%	−8.88 pts
2005	21.3%	+17.3 pts
2006	13.1%	−8.26 pts
2007	16.9%	+3.89 pts
2008	17.3%	+0.36 pts
2009	2.8%	−14.5 pts
2010	7.1%	+4.30 pts
2011	15.3%	+8.22 pts
2012	9.7%	−5.59 pts
2013	0.8%	−8.91 pts
2014	1.2%	+0.43 pts
2015low	0.7%	−0.50 pts
2016latest	2.9%	+2.14 pts

demographic curve

6.0 children per woman

High fertility: the population is still expanding fast.

2024 · 6.0

World Bank · thin line is the world’s median · rule marks replacement (2.1)

the numbers65

when	value	change
1960	6.1
1961	6.1	+0.3%
1962	6.1	+0.3%
1963	6.2	+0.3%
1964	6.2	+0.5%
1965	6.2	+0.4%
1966	6.2	+0.5%
1967	6.3	+0.4%
1968	6.3	+0.3%
1969	6.3	+0.3%
1970	6.3	+0.4%
1971	6.3	+0.2%
1972	6.4	+0.4%
1973	6.4	+0.3%
1974	6.4	+0.3%
1975	6.4	+0.2%
1976	6.4	+0.3%
1977	6.5	+0.2%
1978	6.5	+0.2%
1979	6.5	+0.2%
1980	6.5	+0.2%
1981	6.5	+0.4%
1982	6.5	+0.3%
1983	6.6	+0.4%
1984	6.6	+0.3%
1985	6.6	+0.4%
1986	6.6	+0.3%
1987	6.7	+0.3%
1988	6.7	+0.1%
1989	6.7	−0.1%
1990	6.6	0.0%
1991	6.6	−0.1%
1992	6.6	−0.1%
1993	6.6	0.0%
1994	6.6	0.0%
1995	6.7	+0.5%
1996	6.7	−0.1%
1997	6.7	+0.3%
1998	6.7	+0.1%
1999	6.7	−0.1%
2000high	6.7	+0.1%
2001	6.7	−0.6%
2002	6.6	−0.9%
2003	6.5	−0.9%
2004	6.5	−0.3%
2005	6.5	−0.1%
2006	6.5	+0.3%
2007	6.6	+0.2%
2008	6.6	+0.3%
2009	6.6	+0.2%
2010	6.6	−0.1%
2011	6.6	−0.1%
2012	6.6	−0.3%
2013	6.5	−0.5%
2014	6.5	−0.7%
2015	6.4	−0.7%
2016	6.4	−0.7%
2017	6.3	−0.7%
2018	6.3	−0.7%
2019	6.3	−0.8%
2020	6.2	−0.8%
2021	6.2	−0.8%
2022	6.1	−0.8%
2023	6.1	−0.9%
2024latest	6.0	−1.2%

Metrics

population

113M

13 of 176

REST Countries · UN data
gdp

$70B

85 of 170

World Bank · latest available
gdp per capita

$660

162 of 170

World Bank · latest available
military spending

$794M

85 of 151

SIPRI via World Bank
military % of gdp

1.1%

107 of 148

SIPRI via World Bank
area

2.3M km²

12 of 176

REST Countries
population density

49 /km²

111 of 176

zuhd — derived from population and area
life expectancy

61.9 yr

162 of 175

World Bank · latest available
internet access

31%

144 of 166

ITU via World Bank
co₂ per capita

0.1 t

161 of 163

World Bank · Climate Watch
urbanisation

45%

125 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
fertility rate

6.0

3 of 168

World Bank · UN DESA
foreign-born share

1.0%

125 of 167

World Bank · UN DESA
remittances % of gdp

3.6%

57 of 155

World Bank · IMF BOP
r&d % of gdp

0.4%

65 of 123

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
researchers per million

10

117 of 118

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
scientific articles / yr

243

115 of 168

NSF / World Bank
high-tech exports %

0%

149 of 153

World Bank · UN Comtrade
gini inequality

45

126 of 139

World Bank · PovcalNet
youth unemployment

8%

41 of 166

ILO via World Bank
adult literacy

68%

89 of 109

UNESCO UIS via World Bank
democracy (v-dem)

0.12

120 of 163

V-Dem via Our World in Data
clean government

20

147 of 164

Transparency International via Our World in Data
press freedom

48.6

134 of 163

RSF via Our World in Data
human development

0.522

142 of 164

UNDP via Our World in Data
refugees hosted

517K

15 of 150

UNHCR via Our World in Data
refugees produced

1.1M

7 of 152

UNHCR via Our World in Data