Summary
- Exports
- $29.6billion
- Imports
- $11.5billion
- Trade balance
- +$18.1billion
Products
What it exports
Refined copper (65.9%) and cobalt (10.3%) together make up 76.2% of its exports.
What it imports
Trucks (3.6%) and sorting and crushing machines (2.1%) together make up 5.6% of its imports.
By Harmonized System chapter (96)
| Chapter | Exports | Imports |
|---|---|---|
| 74 · Copper | $20.7 billion | $9 million |
| 26 · Ores and slag | $3.9 billion | $471 thousand |
| 81 · Other base metals | $3.1 billion | $134 thousand |
| 27 · Oil, gas and coal | $628 million | $331 million |
| 71 · Gems and precious metals | $528 million | $5 million |
| 18 · Cocoa and chocolate | $351 million | $13 million |
| 28 · Inorganic chemicals | $224 million | $244 million |
| 44 · Wood | $126 million | $23 million |
| 09 · Coffee, tea and spices | $29 million | $6 million |
| 23 · Animal feed and food waste | $20 million | $5 million |
| 12 · Oilseeds and grains | $13 million | $6 million |
| 40 · Rubber | $12 million | $178 million |
| 72 · Iron and steel | $9 million | $319 million |
| 76 · Aluminum | $9 million | $66 million |
| 75 · Nickel | $7 million | $96 thousand |
| 84 · Mechanical machinery | $5 million | $1.8 billion |
| 80 · Tin | $5 million | $97 thousand |
| 97 · Art and antiques | $4 million | $89 thousand |
| 49 · Books and printed matter | $3 million | $41 million |
| 15 · Fats and oils | $3 million | $154 million |
| 20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables | $3 million | $74 million |
| 79 · Zinc | $3 million | $402 thousand |
| 29 · Organic chemicals | $3 million | $116 million |
| 88 · Aircraft and spacecraft | $3 million | $34 million |
| 33 · Perfumes and cosmetics | $2 million | $84 million |
| 25 · Salt, stone and cement | $2 million | $380 million |
| 85 · Electrical and electronic equipment | $2 million | $1.1 billion |
| 03 · Fish and seafood | $2 million | $151 million |
| 90 · Precision and medical instruments | $2 million | $137 million |
| 07 · Vegetables | $1 million | $53 million |
| 13 · Gums and plant extracts | $1 million | $3 million |
| 87 · Vehicles | $959 thousand | $1.1 billion |
| 38 · Miscellaneous chemicals | $771 thousand | $110 million |
| 11 · Milling products and malt | $769 thousand | $313 million |
| 01 · Live animals | $479 thousand | $16 million |
| 39 · Plastics | $455 thousand | $447 million |
| 08 · Fruit and nuts | $374 thousand | $8 million |
| 63 · Home textiles and used clothing | $347 thousand | $137 million |
| 94 · Furniture and lighting | $318 thousand | $189 million |
| 34 · Soap and cleaning products | $312 thousand | $197 million |
| 19 · Baked goods and cereal products | $308 thousand | $210 million |
| 78 · Lead | $268 thousand | $11 million |
| 55 · Synthetic staple fibers | $193 thousand | $29 million |
| 06 · Live plants and flowers | $182 thousand | $316 thousand |
| 48 · Paper and paperboard | $177 thousand | $109 million |
| 70 · Glass | $153 thousand | $47 million |
| 69 · Ceramics | $147 thousand | $96 million |
| 22 · Beverages and spirits | $140 thousand | $343 million |
| 73 · Iron and steel products | $126 thousand | $512 million |
| 86 · Railway equipment | $121 thousand | $12 million |
| 68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles | $117 thousand | $30 million |
| 54 · Synthetic filaments | $102 thousand | $24 million |
| 67 · Feathers and artificial flowers | $100 thousand | $123 million |
| 95 · Toys and sports gear | $98 thousand | $19 million |
| 62 · Woven clothing | $98 thousand | $60 million |
| 61 · Knitted clothing | $98 thousand | $60 million |
| 89 · Ships and boats | $87 thousand | $40 million |
| 30 · Pharmaceuticals | $83 thousand | $351 million |
| 41 · Hides and leather | $72 thousand | $3 thousand |
| 21 · Food preparations | $64 thousand | $141 million |
| 82 · Tools and cutlery | $52 thousand | $53 million |
| 64 · Footwear | $48 thousand | $98 million |
| 96 · Other manufactured goods | $47 thousand | $30 million |
| 52 · Cotton | $43 thousand | $11 million |
| 24 · Tobacco | $42 thousand | $74 million |
| 58 · Special fabrics and lace | $36 thousand | $3 million |
| 17 · Sugar and sweets | $25 thousand | $224 million |
| 46 · Wicker and basketware | $24 thousand | $227 thousand |
| 37 · Photographic goods | $23 thousand | $1 million |
| 92 · Musical instruments | $18 thousand | $973 thousand |
| 42 · Leather goods and bags | $17 thousand | $35 million |
| 10 · Cereals | $16 thousand | $222 million |
| 32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents | $15 thousand | $44 million |
| 04 · Dairy, eggs and honey | $13 thousand | $87 million |
| 35 · Glues, starches and enzymes | $11 thousand | $9 million |
| 83 · Miscellaneous metal goods | $10 thousand | $49 million |
| 56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope | $7 thousand | $20 million |
| 59 · Coated and technical textiles | $6 thousand | $11 million |
| 65 · Hats | $3 thousand | $7 million |
| 16 · Prepared meat and fish | $3 thousand | $62 million |
| 60 · Knitted fabric | $3 thousand | $3 million |
| 05 · Other animal products | $1 thousand | $6 million |
| 02 · Meat and offal | $1 thousand | $304 million |
| 31 · Fertilizers | $1 thousand | $82 million |
| 57 · Carpets and rugs | $1 thousand | $4 million |
| 14 · Other plant products | $936 | $61 thousand |
| 91 · Watches and clocks | $532 | $5 million |
| 43 · Fur and fur goods | $282 | $37 thousand |
| 93 · Weapons and ammunition | $260 | $2 million |
| 50 · Silk | $240 | $9 thousand |
| 45 · Cork | $108 | $91 thousand |
| 66 · Umbrellas and canes | $30 | $5 million |
| 47 · Wood pulp | $21 | $258 thousand |
| 36 · Explosives and matches | $0 | $34 million |
| 53 · Other plant fibers | $0 | $620 thousand |
| 51 · Wool | $0 | $93 thousand |
Trading partners
China is its main destination (73% of exports) and source (37.6% of imports).
Who it sells to
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 21.6 | 73% | Sea |
| South Korea | 0.97 | 3.3% | Sea |
| India | 0.86 | 2.9% | Sea |
| Saudi Arabia | 0.86 | 2.9% | Sea |
| Spain | 0.73 | 2.5% | Sea |
| Egypt | 0.66 | 2.2% | Sea |
| Belgium | 0.44 | 1.5% | Air |
| Italy | 0.41 | 1.4% | Sea |
| Thailand | 0.37 | 1.3% | Sea |
| United States | 0.33 | 1.1% | Sea |
Who it buys from
| Partner | Value (USD billions) | Share | Mode |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 4.3 | 37.6% | Sea |
| South Africa | 1.4 | 11.8% | Sea |
| Zambia | 1.2 | 10.4% | Land |
| India | 0.54 | 4.7% | Sea |
| Uganda | 0.48 | 4.2% | Land |
| Belgium | 0.37 | 3.2% | Sea |
| Tanzania | 0.31 | 2.7% | Sea |
| United States | 0.24 | 2.1% | Sea |
| Kenya | 0.24 | 2.1% | Sea |
| France | 0.22 | 1.9% | Sea |
Overview 1995–2024
In 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounted for 0.13% of world exports, compared with 0.03% in 1995.
Exports and imports
Exports grew 19.6-fold since 1995
USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).
- Exports 29.6
- Imports 11.5
- Balance +18.1
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Exports | Imports | Trade balance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | $1.5 billion | $1.2 billion | $356 million |
| 1996 | $1.6 billion | $1.1 billion | $493 million |
| 1997 | $1.3 billion | $825 million | $459 million |
| 1998 | $1.1 billion | $769 million | $298 million |
| 1999 | $1.2 billion | $482 million | $686 million |
| 2000 | $1.2 billion | $606 million | $582 million |
| 2001 | $1.1 billion | $557 million | $553 million |
| 2002 | $1.5 billion | $751 million | $706 million |
| 2003 | $1.1 billion | $967 million | $113 million |
| 2004 | $1.2 billion | $1.4 billion | -$157 million |
| 2005 | $1.4 billion | $1.7 billion | -$208 million |
| 2006 | $1.5 billion | $3 billion | -$1.5 billion |
| 2007 | $2.1 billion | $2.9 billion | -$734 million |
| 2008 | $3.7 billion | $3.9 billion | -$192 million |
| 2009 | $2.8 billion | $3.2 billion | -$428 million |
| 2010 | $5.5 billion | $4.2 billion | $1.3 billion |
| 2011 | $7 billion | $5.3 billion | $1.6 billion |
| 2012 | $7.1 billion | $5.9 billion | $1.2 billion |
| 2013 | $7.6 billion | $6.9 billion | $709 million |
| 2014 | $8.3 billion | $6.6 billion | $1.8 billion |
| 2015 | $9.2 billion | $8.4 billion | $775 million |
| 2016 | $7.3 billion | $6.6 billion | $765 million |
| 2017 | $13.4 billion | $7 billion | $6.3 billion |
| 2018 | $18.7 billion | $9.4 billion | $9.3 billion |
| 2019 | $15.5 billion | $10.3 billion | $5.2 billion |
| 2020 | $19.3 billion | $8.6 billion | $10.7 billion |
| 2021 | $28.3 billion | $9.8 billion | $18.5 billion |
| 2022 | $30.4 billion | $15.4 billion | $15 billion |
| 2023 | $32.4 billion | $26.4 billion | $6 billion |
| 2024 | $29.6 billion | $11.5 billion | $18.1 billion |
World rank
The Democratic Republic of the Congo rose from 100th to 70th among the world's exporters
Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).
- 100th in 1995
- 70th in 2024
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Rank |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 100th |
| 1996 | 104th |
| 1997 | 113th |
| 1998 | 112th |
| 1999 | 113th |
| 2000 | 119th |
| 2001 | 124th |
| 2002 | 118th |
| 2003 | 130th |
| 2004 | 134th |
| 2005 | 136th |
| 2006 | 137th |
| 2007 | 131st |
| 2008 | 119th |
| 2009 | 119th |
| 2010 | 108th |
| 2011 | 105th |
| 2012 | 102nd |
| 2013 | 103rd |
| 2014 | 102nd |
| 2015 | 95th |
| 2016 | 101st |
| 2017 | 82nd |
| 2018 | 76th |
| 2019 | 81st |
| 2020 | 72nd |
| 2021 | 70th |
| 2022 | 72nd |
| 2023 | 70th |
| 2024 | 70th |
What it sells
Copper became its top export group: from 4% to 70%
% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.
- Other 1%
- Wood 0%
- Inorganic chemicals 1%
- Cocoa and chocolate 1%
- Gems and precious metals 2%
- Oil, gas and coal 2%
- Other base metals 10%
- Ores and slag 13%
- Copper 70%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Chapter | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Copper | 4.4% | 69.9% |
| Ores and slag | 2.8% | 13.1% |
| Other base metals | 12.3% | 10.3% |
| Oil, gas and coal | 10.4% | 2.1% |
| Gems and precious metals | 55.6% | 1.8% |
| Cocoa and chocolate | 0.07% | 1.2% |
| Inorganic chemicals | 0.07% | 0.76% |
| Wood | 4.9% | 0.43% |
| Other | 9.5% | 0.5% |
Who it trades with
China went from 2% to 63% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's trade
% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.
- China 63%
- Zambia 4%
- South Africa 4%
- India 3%
- South Korea 2%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Partner | 1995 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| China | 1.6% | 63.1% |
| Zambia | 1.2% | 3.7% |
| South Africa | 11.1% | 3.5% |
| India | 2.5% | 3.4% |
| South Korea | 0.67% | 2.5% |
Production hubs
Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)
No hubs above the globe threshold.
View on the globeSources and methodology
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Climate TRACE · CC BY 4.0 (emissions by asset; the 3 largest per country are shown)
- Kummu et al., gridded GDP · CC BY 4.0 (hubs aggregated by this site)
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.