DR Congo

DR Congo: sluggish, near-stagnant growth, 1980–2025

Vast mineral wealth (notably cobalt, essential for batteries) sits alongside decades of conflict, weak state capacity, and chronic underinvestment, leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo one of the poorest countries per capita despite its resources. Between 1980 and 2025, DR Congo's GDP per capita grew from $539 to $807 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 0.9% — sluggish, near-stagnant growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 2.0% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 5.8 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Structurally, agriculture's share of the economy moved from 56.5% to 8.9% of GDP (a classic decline as the economy industrialized/modernized), while services rose from 26.8% to 48.0% of GDP, underscoring a shift toward a services-driven economy. On human development, life expectancy rose from 45.5 to 62.1 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 1.1% to 6.4%, while the urban population share grew from 26.8% to 45.1%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions fell from 0.13 to 0.06 tonnes CO2e per person; income inequality (Gini index) widened from 41.6 to 44.7; the poverty headcount ratio fell from 94.9% to 85.3%.