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2023
Economic Complexity
Trade -1.94Rank 130 of 132
2022
Economic Complexity
Research -0.15Rank 68 of 140
2023
Product
Exports | Imports $20.7B | $12.9B78 of 226 |  105 of 226
2023
Per Capita Product
Exports | Imports $196 | $122156 of 220 |  215 of 220

About

Overview In 2023, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the number 87 economy in the world in terms of GDP (current US$), the number 78 in total exports, the number 105 in total imports, the number 188 economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$) and the number 130 most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (ECI) .

Exports The top exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Refined Copper ($11.8B), Cobalt ($2.4B), Copper Ore ($2.32B), Raw Copper ($1.41B), and Crude Petroleum ($792M), exporting mostly to China ($14.3B), United Arab Emirates ($1.45B), India ($684M), Spain ($672M), and Egypt ($532M).

In 2023, Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world's biggest exporter of Cobalt ($2.4B), Tin Ores ($458M), Copper Alloys ($107M), and Cobalt Ore ($67.1M)

Imports The top imports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are Delivery Trucks ($469M), Refined Petroleum ($323M), Stone Processing Machines ($320M), Sulphur ($292M), and Iron Structures ($278M), importing mostly from China ($4.49B), Zambia ($1.6B), South Africa ($1.56B), India ($594M), and Belgium ($521M).

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.

Latest Trends

Latest Trade

Flow
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Y-AXIS SCALE

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.

* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

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Latest Data

Flow
Color
Depth

The data obtained is mirror data. The trade of countries that do not report current data can be reconstructed based on data reported by partner countries with current data available.

*All data is converted to USD using January 2020 exchange rates when data is reported in local currency.

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Historical Data

Yearly Trade

Flow
Color
Depth
Top Export (2023)Refined Copper$11.8B
Top Destination (2023)China$14.3B

In 2023, Democratic Republic of the Congo exported a total of $20.7B, making it the number 78 exporter in the world. During the last five reported years the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo have changed by $2.03B from $18.7B in 2018 to $20.7B in 2023.

The most recent exports are led by Refined Copper ($11.8B), Cobalt ($2.4B), Copper Ore ($2.32B), Raw Copper ($1.41B), and Crude Petroleum ($792M). The most common destination for the exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo are China ($14.3B), United Arab Emirates ($1.45B), India ($684M), Spain ($672M), and Egypt ($532M).

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Exports (2023)
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Destinations (2023)
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Market Growth

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Growth
Fastest Growing Export Markets (2022 - 2023)
India$611M (+ 844%)
Indonesia$232M (+ 1.75k%)
United Arab Emirates$130M (+ 9.82%)
Fastest Growing Import Markets (2022 - 2023)
Zambia$615M (+ 62.2%)
South Africa$118M (+ 8.14%)
Uganda$97.5M (+ 31.1%)

Total Export Growth by Market (2022 - 2023)

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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Service Trade

Service Trade

Democratic Republic of the Congo Exports Services (2020)$153M
Democratic Republic of the Congo Imports Services (2020)$2.69B

In 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo exported $153M worth of services. The top services exported by Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2020 were Business travel ($80.8M), Government services, n.i.e. ($28.4M), Transportation ($23.5M), Other personal, cultural, and recreational services ($8.97M), and Merchanting and other trade-related services ($4.41M).

The top services imported by Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2020 were Transportation ($1.08B), Merchanting and other trade-related services ($551M), Insurance services ($476M), Business travel ($204M), and Government services, n.i.e. ($195M).

Service Exports (2020)

Service Imports (2020)

Economic Complexity

Overview

Economic Complexity (Trade)-1.94Rank 130 of 132
Economic Complexity (Research)-0.15Rank 68 of 140

Most Specialized Products by RCA Index

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a high level of specialization in Cobalt (497), Tin Ores (424), Cobalt Oxides and Hydroxides (208), Refined Copper (149), and Raw Copper (95.8). Specialization is measured using RCA, an index that takes the ratio between Democratic Republic of the Congo observed and expected exports in each product.

Most Complex Products by PCI

The highest complexity exports of Democratic Republic of the Congo according to the product complexity index (PCI) are Tin; unwrought (-0.69), Zinc; dust, powders and flakes (-0.83), Copper mattes; cement copper (precipitated copper) (-1.27), Wood in the rough, whether or not stripped of bark or sapwood,... (-1.3), and Wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed,... (-1.3). PCI measures the knowledge intensity of a product by considering the knowledge intensity of its exporters.

Export Opportunities by Relatedness

The top export opportunities for Democratic Republic of the Congo according to the relatedness index, were Other Mineral (0.049), Nickel Ore (0.045), Manganese Ore (0.045), Aluminium Ore (0.044), and Nickel Mattes (0.035). 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.

Product Space

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.

Relatedness Space

This network shows the products most related to the production structure of Democratic Republic Of The Congo. These are products that tend to be co-exported with the products that Democratic Republic Of The Congo exports. Higher relatedness values ​​indicate greater knowledge, which predicts a greater probability of exporting that product in the future.

Relatedness Space (2023)

Diversification Frontier

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Depth

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.

Diversification Frontier

Economic Complexity Ranking

Methodology
Scale

During the last 20 years Democratic Republic of the Congo's⁩ ⁨economy has become relatively less complex, moving from the ⁩⁨nullth to the 130th⁩ 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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ECI (Trade) Ranking by Country

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