Foreign trade figures of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Foreign Trade in Figures

The DRC is open to international trade, which represents 91% of its GDP (World Bank, latest data available). With 80 million hectares of arable land and over 1,100 minerals and precious metals, the DRC has the potential to become one of the major exporting countries on the continent and a driver of African growth. In 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s top exports were dominated by refined copper, which accounted for 57.0% of the country’s total export value. Other key export products included cobalt at 11.6%, copper ore at 11.2%, raw copper at 6.8%, and crude petroleum at 3.8%. The DRC also held the position of the world’s leading exporter of cobalt, tin ores, copper alloys, and cobalt ore. On the import side, delivery trucks made up 3.6% of imports, while refined petroleum and stone processing machines each represented 2.5%. Sulphur accounted for 2.3%, and iron structures 2.2% (data OEC).

In 2023, the main export destinations for Congolese goods were China, which received 69.1% of total exports, followed by the United Arab Emirates at 7.0%, India at 3.3%, Spain at 3.2%, and Egypt at 2.6%. These figures highlight the country's strong trade dependence on Asia, particularly China. The primary countries of origin for these imports were China, which supplied 34.8% of the total, followed by Zambia at 12.4%, South Africa at 12.1%, India at 4.6%, and Belgium at 4.0% (data OEC).

Although the DRC's trade balance has traditionally been negative, rising raw material prices have supported export growth and contributed to a partial rebalancing of the current account, causing the trade balance to alternate between surpluses and deficits. According to figures by WTO, exports of goods totalled USD 16.4 billion in 2023, against USD 11.6 billion in imports. As per services, the DRC is a net importer (USD 5.26 billion in imports vs. a mere USD 41 million in exports). For 2023, the World Bank estimated the country’s trade balance to be in deficit by 2.8% of GDP.
 In 2024, the DRC exported a record 3.1 million tonnes of copper, the highest in its mining history, according to the Ministry of Mines. Meanwhile, zinc exports surged by 225% in 2024, reaching 43,590 tonnes after two years of decline.