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African economies
Congo · Economy

Congo economy: GDP, investment, trade and remittances

How large the Congo economy is and how fast it is growing, who invests in it, what it sells and buys, how much its citizens abroad send home, who it owes and what it holds in reserve. The latest published year is shown with each figure.

GDP
US$16.3 billion
current US$, 2025
Real GDP growth
3.1%
2025
GDP per person
US$2,515
current US$, 2025
Exports of goods
US$7.4 billion
2024
Remittances received
US$44 million
2021, 0.3% of GDP
Foreign direct investment, net inflows
US$596 million
2025, 3.7% of GDP

Congo economy snapshot: GDP, growth and income per person

Congo's GDP was US$16.3 billion in 2025, after real growth of 3.1%.

GDP

Current US dollars.

05.0bn10bn15bn20bn201520172019202120232025GDP 2015: US$12.4 billionGDP 2016: US$10.9 billionGDP 2017: US$11.8 billionGDP 2018: US$14.8 billionGDP 2019: US$14.0 billionGDP 2020: US$11.5 billionGDP 2021: US$14.8 billionGDP 2022: US$15.8 billionGDP 2023: US$15.3 billionGDP 2024: US$15.7 billionGDP 2025: US$16.3 billion

Real GDP growth

Annual change, per cent. Red bars are contractions.

-10%-5%0%5%201520172019202120232025Real GDP growth 2015: 0.4%Real GDP growth 2016: -8.7%Real GDP growth 2017: -5.6%Real GDP growth 2018: -2.3%Real GDP growth 2019: 1.1%Real GDP growth 2020: -6.3%Real GDP growth 2021: 1.0%Real GDP growth 2022: 1.5%Real GDP growth 2023: 1.9%Real GDP growth 2024: 2.1%Real GDP growth 2025: 3.1%

GDP per person

Current US dollars.

01k2k3k201520172019202120232025GDP per person 2015: US$2,439GDP per person 2016: US$2,093GDP per person 2017: US$2,212GDP per person 2018: US$2,694GDP per person 2019: US$2,488GDP per person 2020: US$1,994GDP per person 2021: US$2,516GDP per person 2022: US$2,621GDP per person 2023: US$2,478GDP per person 2024: US$2,482GDP per person 2025: US$2,515

Source: World Bank, 2025. Method

Who invests in Congo and in what

Direct investment by investing country

France was the largest investing country in Congo, at 47% of inward direct investment positions in 2024.

Inward direct investment positions in Congo at the end of 2024: the stock of foreign direct investment, not a year's new flow. The 10 largest investing countries.

The IMF data holds no positions reported by Congo itself. The figures are derived by the IMF from what the investing countries report, so they are shown as reported by investing countries.

FranceUS$2.7 billion47.1%
ChinaUS$878 million15.4%
ItalyUS$694 million12.2%
NetherlandsUS$435 million7.6%
MauritiusUS$320 million5.6%
South AfricaUS$207 million3.6%
MoroccoUS$143 million2.5%
United StatesUS$136 million2.4%
IndiaUS$84 million1.5%
NigeriaUS$55 million1.0%

Source: IMF, 2024. Method

What Congo sells and buys

Mineral fuels and oils was 93% of exports in 2024.

Congo sold the most to China, 54% of exports in 2024.

Exports by product, 2024

Tile area follows value. Each tile is a customs chapter of the Harmonized System; hover for the full name.

Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation: US$6.8 billion, 93.0%Mineral fuels and oils93%Wood and articles of wood: US$239 million, 3.3%Copper and articles thereof: US$66 million, 0.9%Salt: US$47 million, 0.6%Machinery and mechanical appliances, boilers, nuclear reactors: US$33 million, 0.5%Ships, boats and floating structures: US$31 million, 0.4%Footwear: US$10 million, 0.1%Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates: US$9.4 million, 0.1%Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof: US$8.3 million, 0.1%Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof: US$7.6 million, 0.1%Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, medical or surgical instruments and apparatus: US$7.5 million, 0.1%Iron or steel articles: US$6.9 million, 0.1%All other chapters: US$50 million, 0.7%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method

Top buyers, 2024

Share of Congo's exports.

ChinaUS$3.9 billion53.6%
NetherlandsUS$790 million10.7%
SingaporeUS$519 million7.0%
ItalyUS$449 million6.1%
IndiaUS$380 million5.2%
MalaysiaUS$286 million3.9%
ThailandUS$230 million3.1%
TogoUS$164 million2.2%
RomaniaUS$149 million2.0%
IsraelUS$73 million1.0%

Top suppliers, 2024

Share of Congo's imports.

ChinaUS$1.6 billion24.8%
NamibiaUS$758 million11.8%
Hong KongUS$670 million10.4%
FranceUS$417 million6.5%
BelgiumUS$305 million4.7%
United StatesUS$283 million4.4%
GabonUS$184 million2.9%
United Arab EmiratesUS$136 million2.1%
BrazilUS$127 million2.0%
Equatorial GuineaUS$121 million1.9%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method

What Congo buys, 2024

The 8 largest product chapters in imports.

Ships and boatsUS$1.9 billion30.0%
Machinery and mechanical appliancesUS$828 million12.9%
Iron or steel articlesUS$438 million6.8%
Electrical machinery and equipmentUS$397 million6.2%
VehiclesUS$336 million5.2%
Meat and edible meat offalUS$328 million5.1%
Mineral fuels and oilsUS$209 million3.3%
CerealsUS$161 million2.5%

Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method

Trade balance of goods

Exports minus imports. Red bars are years when imports were larger. A year is left out when either side is not published.

-5.0bn05.0bn10bn20152017201920212023Trade balance 2015: -US$1.9 billion (exports US$8.6 billion, imports US$10.5 billion)Trade balance 2016: -US$3.4 billion (exports US$7.9 billion, imports US$11.3 billion)Trade balance 2017: US$3.7 billion (exports US$8.3 billion, imports US$4.6 billion)Trade balance 2018: US$7.7 billion (exports US$11.2 billion, imports US$3.5 billion)Trade balance 2019: US$3.3 billion (exports US$5.6 billion, imports US$2.2 billion)Trade balance 2020: US$3.0 billion (exports US$4.9 billion, imports US$1.9 billion)Trade balance 2021: US$11 million (exports US$2.4 billion, imports US$2.4 billion)Trade balance 2022: US$5.2 billion (exports US$8.9 billion, imports US$3.6 billion)Trade balance 2023: US$4.8 billion (exports US$9.5 billion, imports US$4.7 billion)Trade balance 2024: US$934 million (exports US$7.4 billion, imports US$6.4 billion)

Source: UN Comtrade, 2024. Method

Remittances against foreign direct investment in Congo

Foreign direct investment net inflows were negative in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022: more investment left Congo than came in.

Remittances receivedForeign direct investment, net inflows
-5.0bn-2.5bn02.5bn5.0bn201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: US$30 millionRemittances 2016: US$7.7 millionRemittances 2019: US$26 millionRemittances 2020: US$13 millionRemittances 2021: US$44 millionForeign direct investment 2015: US$4.3 billionForeign direct investment 2016: US$51 millionForeign direct investment 2017: -US$1.5 billionForeign direct investment 2018: -US$4.4 billionForeign direct investment 2019: -US$1.4 billionForeign direct investment 2020: -US$2.0 billionForeign direct investment 2021: -US$320 millionForeign direct investment 2022: -US$1.0 billionForeign direct investment 2023: US$834 millionForeign direct investment 2024: US$604 millionForeign direct investment 2025: US$596 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Remittances and investment as a share of GDP

The same two flows measured against the size of the economy.

Remittances, share of GDPForeign direct investment, share of GDP
-40%-20%0%20%40%201520172019202120232025Remittances 2015: 0.2%Remittances 2016: 0.1%Remittances 2019: 0.2%Remittances 2020: 0.1%Remittances 2021: 0.3%Foreign direct investment 2015: 34.4%Foreign direct investment 2016: 0.5%Foreign direct investment 2017: -12.9%Foreign direct investment 2018: -29.9%Foreign direct investment 2019: -10.2%Foreign direct investment 2020: -17.3%Foreign direct investment 2021: -2.2%Foreign direct investment 2022: -6.6%Foreign direct investment 2023: 5.4%Foreign direct investment 2024: 3.8%Foreign direct investment 2025: 3.7%

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Who Congo owes

External debt stock by type of creditor. Creditor types cover public and publicly guaranteed debt; the grey part is the rest of the total external debt stock. A creditor type with no published figure is not shown.

Bilateral creditors held 34% of Congo's external debt stock in 2024.

Public external debt owed to China was US$3.0 billion in 2024, 44% of the external debt stock.

MultilateralBilateralBondsCommercial banksRest of the totalPublic debt owed to China
02.5bn5.0bn7.5bn10bn20152017201920212023Multilateral 2015: US$160 millionBilateral 2015: US$3.0 billionBonds 2015: US$399 millionCommercial banks 2015: US$353 millionRest of the total 2015: US$2.9 billionMultilateral 2016: US$211 millionBilateral 2016: US$3.2 billionBonds 2016: US$377 millionCommercial banks 2016: US$283 millionRest of the total 2016: US$2.6 billionMultilateral 2017: US$644 millionBilateral 2017: US$3.5 billionBonds 2017: US$350 millionCommercial banks 2017: US$214 millionRest of the total 2017: US$2.7 billionMultilateral 2018: US$640 millionBilateral 2018: US$3.2 billionBonds 2018: US$322 millionCommercial banks 2018: US$145 millionRest of the total 2018: US$2.8 billionMultilateral 2019: US$869 millionBilateral 2019: US$3.2 billionBonds 2019: US$295 millionCommercial banks 2019: US$75 millionRest of the total 2019: US$3.9 billionMultilateral 2020: US$985 millionBilateral 2020: US$3.1 billionBonds 2020: US$268 millionCommercial banks 2020: US$5.3 millionRest of the total 2020: US$3.9 billionMultilateral 2021: US$1.0 billionBilateral 2021: US$3.0 billionBonds 2021: US$241 millionCommercial banks 2021: US$4.9 millionRest of the total 2021: US$3.8 billionMultilateral 2022: US$1.1 billionBilateral 2022: US$2.8 billionBonds 2022: US$213 millionCommercial banks 2022: US$4.6 millionRest of the total 2022: US$3.2 billionMultilateral 2023: US$1.3 billionBilateral 2023: US$2.5 billionBonds 2023: US$186 millionCommercial banks 2023: US$4.8 millionRest of the total 2023: US$2.9 billionMultilateral 2024: US$1.3 billionBilateral 2024: US$2.3 billionBonds 2024: US$159 millionCommercial banks 2024: US$4.5 millionRest of the total 2024: US$3.0 billionPublic debt owed to China 2015: US$2.8 billionPublic debt owed to China 2016: US$2.8 billionPublic debt owed to China 2017: US$3.0 billionPublic debt owed to China 2018: US$2.9 billionPublic debt owed to China 2019: US$4.1 billionPublic debt owed to China 2020: US$3.8 billionPublic debt owed to China 2021: US$3.7 billionPublic debt owed to China 2022: US$3.4 billionPublic debt owed to China 2023: US$3.2 billionPublic debt owed to China 2024: US$3.0 billion

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Reserves and months of import cover

Total reserves including gold, and how many months of imports they cover.

Reserves, US$Months of imports
01.0bn2.0bn3.0bn024620152017201920212023Reserves 2015: US$2.2 billionReserves 2016: US$714 millionReserves 2017: US$380 millionReserves 2018: US$424 millionReserves 2019: US$988 millionReserves 2020: US$1.1 billionReserves 2021: US$829 millionReserves 2022: US$836 millionReserves 2023: US$715 millionReserves 2024: US$759 millionMonths of imports 2015: 2.8 monthsMonths of imports 2016: 1.1 monthsMonths of imports 2019: 1.8 monthsMonths of imports 2020: 4.1 monthsMonths of imports 2021: 1.6 months

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

Aid received by Congo

Net official development assistance and official aid received.

0200m400m600m800m20152017201920212023Aid received 2015: US$89 millionAid received 2016: US$87 millionAid received 2017: US$107 millionAid received 2018: US$147 millionAid received 2019: US$178 millionAid received 2020: US$217 millionAid received 2021: US$206 millionAid received 2022: US$704 millionAid received 2023: US$378 million

Source: World Bank, 2026. Method

More on Congo

World Bank data pages for Congo: GDP, GDP growth, GDP per person, remittances, foreign direct investment, reserves, months of imports, external debt, debt by creditor, aid. UN Comtrade: trade data. IMF: direct investment positions.