Democratic Republic of the Congo2019 Economic Complexity : -1.69, Rank 143 of 146
2019 Product Exports | Imports: $8.16B | $7.28B, 96 of 225 | 116 of 225
2019 Per Capita Product Exports | Imports: $94.1 | $83.9, N/A of N/A | N/A of N/A
2019 Service Exports | Imports : $142M | $2.26B, 64 of 69 | 48 of 69
Overview In 2019 Democratic Republic of the Congo was the number 88 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 96 in total exports, the number 116 in total imports, the number N/A economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 143 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).
Exports The top exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Refined Copper ($4.06B), Cobalt ($1.91B), Copper Ore ($544M), Crude Petroleum ($467M), and Raw Copper ($249M), exporting mostly to China ($4.33B), United Arab Emirates ($877M), Saudi Arabia ($525M), South Korea ($405M), and Italy ($287M).
In 2019, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world's biggest exporter of Cobalt ($1.91B) and Cobalt Ore ($202M)
Imports The top imports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Packaged Medicaments ($363M), Refined Petroleum ($287M), Sulfuric Acid ($180M), Stone Processing Machines ($153M), and Delivery Trucks ($152M), importing mostly from China ($2.08B), South Africa ($1.05B), Zambia ($901M), Rwanda ($371M), and Belgium ($362M).
Location Democratic Republic of the Congo borders Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia by land.
Top Export (2019): Refined Copper, $4.06B
Top Destination (2019): China, $4.33B
In 2019, Democratic Republic of the Congo exported a total of $8.16B, making it the number 96 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo have changed by $132M from $8.03B in 2014 to $8.16B in 2019.
The most recent exports are led by Refined Copper ($4.06B), Cobalt ($1.91B), Copper Ore ($544M), Crude Petroleum ($467M), and Raw Copper ($249M). The most common destination for the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($4.33B), United Arab Emirates ($877M), Saudi Arabia ($525M), South Korea ($405M), and Italy ($287M).
Top Import (2019): Packaged Medicaments, $363M
Top Origin (2019): China, $2.08B
In 2019 Democratic Republic of the Congo imported $7.28B, making it the number 116 trade destination in the world. During the last five reported years the imports of Democratic Republic of the Congo changed by $602M from $6.68B in 2014 to $7.28B in 2019.
The most recent imports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are led by Packaged Medicaments ($363M), Refined Petroleum ($287M), Sulfuric Acid ($180M), Stone Processing Machines ($153M), and Delivery Trucks ($152M). The most common import partners for Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($2.08B), South Africa ($1.05B), Zambia ($901M), Rwanda ($371M), and Belgium ($362M).
Democratic Republic of the Congo Exports Services (2019): $142M
Democratic Republic of the Congo Imports Services (2019): $2.26B
In 2019, Democratic Republic of the Congo exported $142M worth of services. The top services exported by Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019 were Business travel ($99.7M), Transportation ($20.4M), Government services, n.i.e. ($15.8M), Other business services ($2.45M), and Computer and information services ($2.12M).
The top services imported by Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2019 were Transportation ($1.05B), Insurance services ($417M), Other business services ($380M), Government services, n.i.e. ($128M), and Financial services ($101M).
The top product import tariffs by their MFN Ad Valorem value for Democratic Republic of the Congo are Abrasive powder or grain on a base of other material (20%) and Abrasive powder, grain on paper or paperboard support (20%).
Click any of the products in the bar chart to see the specific Ad Valorem Duty Rates by partner country.
*The tariffs applied to imports for Democratic Republic of the Congo are:
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a high level of specialization in Cobalt (879), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (251), Refined Copper (148), Tin Ores (109), and Raw Copper (48.1). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Democratic Republic of the Congo observed and expected exports in each product.
The highest complexity exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Veg alkaloids, their salts, ethers, esters and derivs (0.2), Military weapons, other than hand guns, swords, etc (0.1), Carbonates (-0.43), Cobalt oxides and hydroxides (-0.52), and Veneers and sheets for plywood etc <6mm thick (-0.7). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.
The top export opportunities for Democratic Republic of the Congo according to the relatedness index, are Gold (0.051), Uranium and Thorium Ore (0.051), Manganese Ore (0.05), Petroleum Gas (0.045), and Nickel Mattes (0.04). Relatedness measures the distance between a country's current exports and each product. The barchart show only products that Democratic Republic of the Congo is not specialized in.
The product space is a network connecting products that are likely to be co-exported. The product space can be used to predict future exports, since countries are more likely to start exporting products that are related to current exports. Relatedness measures the distance between a product, and all of the products a country currently specializes in.
The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk vs strategic value of a country's potential export oppotunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth, less income inequality, and lower greenhouse emissions.
During the last 20 years Democratic Republic of the Congo's economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the 98th to the 143rd position in the ECI rank.
These economic complexity rankings use 6 digit exports classified according to the HS96 classification. We consider only countries with population of at least 1 million and exports of at least $1 billion, and products with world trade over $500 million. To explore different rankings and vary these parameters visit the custom rankings section.