Economy - overview:
The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation
endowed with vast potential wealth - has declined drastically since
the mid-1980s. The war, which began in August 1998, has dramatically
reduced national output and government revenue, has increased
external debt, and has resulted in the deaths from war, famine, and
disease of perhaps 3.5 million people. Foreign businesses have
curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the
conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating
environment. The war has intensified the impact of such basic
problems as an uncertain legal framework, corruption, inflation, and
lack of openness in government economic policy and financial
operations. Conditions improved in late 2002 with the withdrawal of
a large portion of the invading foreign troops. A number of IMF and
World Bank missions have met with the government to help it develop
a coherent economic plan, and President KABILA has begun
implementing reforms. Much economic activity lies outside the GDP
data.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $34 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $600 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 11%
services: 34% (2000 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
16% (2002 est.)
Labor force:
14.51 million (1993 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $269 million
expenditures: $244 million, including capital expenditures of $24
million (1996 est.)
Industries:
mining (diamonds, copper, zinc), mineral processing, consumer
products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods
and beverages), cement
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
5.243 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.8%
hydro: 98.2%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption:
3.839 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports:
1.097 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports:
60 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption:
14,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA (2001)
Oil - imports:
NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
1.538 billion bbl (37257)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
104.8 billion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca),
palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products
Exports:
$1.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt
Exports - partners:
Belgium 64.4%, US 13.4%, Zimbabwe 6.7%, Finland 4.9% (2002)
Imports:
$890 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels
Imports - partners:
Belgium 14.6%, South Africa 14.2%, Nigeria 10.3%, France 9.5%,
Germany 7.3%, Netherlands 5.3%, Kenya 5.2% (2002)
Debt - external:
$12.9 billion (2000 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$195.3 million (1995)
Currency:
Congolese franc (CDF)
Currency code:
CDF
Exchange rates:
Congolese francs per US dollar - 346.49 (2002), 206.62 (2001),
21.82 (2000), 4.02 (1999), 1.61 (1998)
Fiscal year:
calendar year