Democratic Republic of the Congo2020 Economic Complexity : -1.46, Rank 123 of 127
2020 Product Exports | Imports: $19.4B | $8.78B, 70 of 226 | 105 of 226
2020 Per Capita Product Exports | Imports: $217 | $98.1, 176 of 219 | 212 of 219
2019 Service Exports | Imports : $142M | $2.26B, 71 of 76 | 54 of 76
Overview In 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the number 87 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 70 in total exports, the number 105 in total imports, the number 187 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 123 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI).
Exports The top exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Refined Copper ($11.1B), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($2.95B), Cobalt ($2.36B), Raw Copper ($710M), and Copper Ore ($655M), exporting mostly to China ($8.99B), Tanzania ($1.67B), United Arab Emirates ($1.15B), South Africa ($1.09B), and Singapore ($1.06B).
In 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world's biggest exporter of Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($2.95B), Cobalt ($2.36B), Other Ores ($144M), Cobalt Ore ($123M), and Copper Alloys ($85.2M)
Imports The top imports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Documents of title (bonds etc) and unused stamps ($1.19B), Packaged Medicaments ($221M), Sulphur ($201M), Refined Petroleum ($194M), and Poultry Meat ($182M), importing mostly from China ($2.13B), United States ($1.37B), Zambia ($952M), South Africa ($782M), and India ($368M).
In 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world's biggest importer of Documents of title (bonds etc) and unused stamps ($1.19B) and Quicklime ($98.9M)
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.
The following section uses the most recent trade data from partners of Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Disclaimer: data is presented based on availability and only countries that use the harmonized system are being shown.
*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.
Data is presented based on data availability. Only countries using the Harmonic System (HS) are selected. Every source is shown using their own latest twelve months of data.
*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.
Top Export (2020): Refined Copper, $11.1B
Top Destination (2020): China, $2.13B
In 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo exported a total of $19.4B, making it the number 70 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo have changed by $10.3B from $9.08B in 2015 to $19.4B in 2020.
The most recent exports are led by Refined Copper ($11.1B), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides ($2.95B), Cobalt ($2.36B), Raw Copper ($710M), and Copper Ore ($655M). The most common destination for the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($8.99B), Tanzania ($1.67B), United Arab Emirates ($1.15B), South Africa ($1.09B), and Singapore ($1.06B).
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).
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a high level of specialization in Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (722), Cobalt (410), Refined Copper (133), Tin Ores (86.6), and Raw Copper (42.6). 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 Alkaloids; natural or reproduced by synthesis, and their salts, ethers, esters and other derivatives (0.022), Tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles; motorised, whether or not fitted with weapons, and parts of such vehicles (-0.24), Slag, ash and residues; (not from the manufacture of iron or steel) containing metals, arsenic or their compounds (-0.57), Other woven fabrics of cotton, n.e.c. in chapter 52 (-0.92), and Copper; waste and scrap (-0.92). 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 Manganese Ore (0.057), Uranium and Thorium Ore (0.041), Gold (0.041), Coal Briquettes (0.04), 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 13 years Democratic Republic of the Congo's economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the 115th to the 123rd 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.
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