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Democratic Republic of the Congo
Middle Africa
At a glance
CapitalKinshasa
Official languageFrench
CurrencyCongolese franc
Drives on theright
Highest pointMount Stanley5,109 m
Biggest category of goods exportedores and metals76% of goods exports, 2023
Services share of exports1.5%of everything sold abroad, 2025
Internet domain.cd
Facts about Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo mines the most cobalt.
Source: pubs.usgs.gov · checked 2026-08-08Democratic Republic of the Congo by the numbers
Rank is out of the countries with data for that measure. Every figure is the latest year the source publishes.
| Measure | Value | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| PopulationEveryone living in the country, all ages, counted mid-year. | 113m (2025) | 15th of 209 |
| GDPThe total value of everything the country produces in a year, at current prices. | $91.0bn (2025) | 81st of 203 |
| Land areaTotal land area, excluding inland water and offshore territory. | 2.27m km² (2023) | 11th of 209 |
| Military spending, totalWhat the government spends on its armed forces in a year — pay, equipment and operations. | $899m (2024) | 86th of 151 |
| Exports of goods & servicesThe value of everything the country sells abroad in a year, goods and services combined. | $39.5bn (2025) | 74th of 180 |
| Mobile subscriptionsActive mobile phone subscriptions — NOT the same as people. Many people hold two, so a country can have more subscriptions than residents. | 64.0m (2024) | 29th of 205 |
| Forest areaLand under natural or planted trees, whether or not it is productive. | 1.23m km² (2023) | 7th of 203 |
| Agricultural landCropland, land under permanent crops, and permanent pasture. | 351k km² (2023) | 37th of 206 |
| CO₂ emissionsCarbon dioxide released in a year, in millions of tonnes. | 6 Mt (2024) | 130th of 198 |
| Urban populationThe number of people living in urban areas, as each country defines them. | 50.9m (2025) | 18th of 209 |
| Life expectancyHow long a baby born today would live if death rates never changed. | 62.1 years (2024) | 197th of 209 |
| GDP per personEverything the country produces in a year, divided by its population. | $807 (2025) | 196th of 205 |
| Internet useThe share of people who have used the internet in the last three months. | 19.7% (2024) | 178th of 191 |
| UnemploymentThe share of people who want a job and are looking for one but do not have one. | 4.4% (2025) | 113th of 185 |
| Urban shareThe share of the population living in urban areas. | 45.1% (2025) | 154th of 209 |
| Births per womanHow many children a woman would have across her life at current birth rates. | 5.98 (2024) | 3rd of 209 |
| Military spending, share of GDPWhat the country spends on its armed forces, as a share of everything it produces. | 1.23% of GDP (2024) | 102nd of 155 |
| Trade opennessImports plus exports as a share of GDP. Above 100% is normal for small trading economies. | 87.3% of GDP (2025) | 82nd of 183 |
| CO₂ per personCarbon dioxide from fuel and industry, divided by the population. | 0.06 t (2024) | 191st of 198 |
| Human Development IndexThe UN’s combined measure of health, education and income, on a scale from 0 to 1. | 0.522 (2023) | 171st of 193 |
Land borders
🇦🇴 Angola🇧🇮 Burundi🇨🇫 Central African Republic🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo🇷🇼 Rwanda🇸🇸 South Sudan🇹🇿 Tanzania🇺🇬 Uganda🇿🇲 Zambia
Across the water
Close by sea, with no shared land border.
Democratic Republic of the Congo shares these with other countries
Drives on the right 149Has a coast and land neighbours 115Has french as an official language 28Is a member of the african union 54Mainly exports ores and metals 14Sells almost only goods 34Is in middle africa 10
Democratic Republic of the Congo in the Daily Ceteris
Questions from the daily puzzle where the answer is Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Which country mines the most cobalt?
The DR Congo mines about three-quarters of the world's cobalt — 230,000 of 310,000 tonnes in 2025 — mostly as a byproduct of copper, so supply barely responds to price. Chinese firms control most of those mines, giving China leverage over battery supply chains without digging the ore itself. source
Keep going
Country data from the World Bank (CC BY 4.0) and the UNDP Human Development Report (CC BY 3.0 IGO)
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