Statistical information Democratic Republic of the Congo 2016

Democratic Republic of the Congo in the World

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Introduction 2016

Established as an official Belgian colony in 1908 the then-Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960 but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections as well as through brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola Chad Namibia Sudan and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. In January 2001 KABILA was assassinated and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. In October 2002 the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying the eastern DRC; two months later the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; it held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency National Assembly and provincial legislatures took place in 2006.
In 2009 following a resurgence of conflict in the eastern DRC the government signed a peace agreement with the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) a primarily Tutsi rebel group. An attempt to integrate CNDP members into the Congolese military failed prompting their defection in 2012 and the formation of the M23 armed group - named after the 23 March 2009 peace agreements. Renewed conflict led to large population displacements and significant human rights abuses before the M23 was pushed out of DRC to Uganda and Rwanda in late 2013 by a joint DRC and UN offensive. In addition the DRC continues to experience violence committed by other armed groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda the Allied Democratic Forces and assorted Mai Mai militias. In the most recent national elections held in November 2011 disputed results allowed Joseph KABILA to be reelected to the presidency; the next presidential election is scheduled for late 2016.

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Geography 2016

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Location: Central Africa northeast of Angola

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N 25 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Total: 2,344,858 km²
Land: 2,267,048 km²
Water: 77,810 km²
Rank: 11
Comparative: slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US

Land boundaries
Total: 10,481 km
Border countries: (9) Angola 2,646 km; (of which 225 km; is the boundary of Angola's discontiguous Cabinda Province) Burundi 236 km; Central African Republic 1747 km; Republic of the Congo 1229 km; Rwanda 221 km; South Sudan 714 km; Tanzania 479 km; Uganda 877 km; Zambia 2,332 km

Coastline: 37 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: since 2011 the DRC has a Common Interest Zone agreement with Angola for the mutual development of off-shore resources

Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season (April to October) dry season (December to February); south of Equator - wet season (November to March) dry season (April to October)

Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east

Elevation
Mean elevation: 726 m
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m: highest point: Pic Marguerite on Mont Ngaliema (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m

Natural resources: cobalt copper niobium tantalum petroleum industrial and gem diamonds gold silver zinc manganese tin uranium coal hydropower timber

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 11.4%

arable land: 3.1%
permanent crops: 0.3%
permanent pasture: 8%

Forest: 67.9%
Other: 20.7%

Irrigated land: 110 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; Congo River floods (seasonal); active volcanoes in the east along the Great Rift Valley
Volcanism: Nyiragongo which erupted in 2002 and is experiencing ongoing activity poses a major threat to the city of Goma home to a quarter million people; the volcano produces unusually fast-moving lava known to travel up to 100 km /hr; Nyiragongo has been deemed a Decade Volcano by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior worthy of study due to its explosive history and close proximity to human populations; its neighbor Nyamuragira which erupted in 2010 is Africa's most active volcano; Visoke is the only other historically active volcano

Geography
Note: second largest country in Africa (after Algeria) and largest country in Sub-Saharan Africa; straddles the equator; has narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands

Democratic Republic of the Congo - People 2016

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Population: 81,331,050
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy higher infant mortality higher death rates lower population growth rates and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
Rank: 18
Growth rate: 2.42% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 28
Below poverty line: 63% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Congolese
Adjective: Congolese or Congo

Ethnic groups: over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo Luba Kongo (all Bantu) and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

Languages: French (official) Lingala (a lingua franca trade language) Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili) Kikongo Tshiluba

Religions: Roman Catholic 50% Protestant 20% Kimbanguist 10% Muslim 10% other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

Demographic profile:

Despite a wealth of fertile soil hydroelectric power potential and mineral resources the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) struggles with many socioeconomic problems including high infant and maternal mortality rates malnutrition poor vaccination coverage lack of access to improved water sources and sanitation and frequent and early fertility. Ongoing conflict mismanagement of resources and a lack of investment have resulted in food insecurity; almost 30 percent of children under the age of 5 are malnourished. The overall coverage of basic public services – education health sanitation and potable water – is very limited and piecemeal with substantial regional and rural/urban disparities. Fertility remains high at almost 5 children per woman and is likely to remain high because of the low use of contraception and the cultural preference for larger families.
The DRC is a source and host country for refugees. Between 2012 and 2014 more than 119,000 Congolese refugees returned from the Republic of Congo to the relative stability of northwest DRC but more than 540,000 Congolese refugees remained abroad as of year-end 2015. In addition more than 1.7 million Congolese are internally displaced the vast majority fleeing violence in the DRC’s eastern provinces between rebel group and Congolese armed forces. Thousands of refugees have come to the DRC from neighboring countries including Rwanda the Central African Republic and Burundi.

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.2%
15-24 years: 21.44%
25-54 years: 30.13%
55-64 years: 3.58%
65 years and over: 2.65% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 95.9%
Youth dependency ratio: 90.1%
Elderly dependency ratio: 5.8%
Potential support ratio: 17.2%

Median age
Total: 18.4 years
Male: 18.1 years
Female: 18.6 years
Rank: 210

Population growth rate: 2.42% (2016 est.)
Rank: 28

Birth rate: 34.2 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 24

Death rate: 9.9 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 41

Net migration rate: -0.2 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 111

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 42.5% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 3.96% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: KINSHASA (capital) 11.587 million; Lubumbashi 2.015 million; Mbuji-Mayi 20.007 million; Kananga 1.169 million; Kisangani 1.04 million; Bukavu 832,000 (2015)

Environment
Current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; refugees responsible for significant deforestation soil erosion and wildlife poaching; mining of minerals (coltan - a mineral used in creating capacitors diamonds and gold) causing environmental damage
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Endangered Species Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Marine Dumping Ozone Layer Protection Tropical Timber 83 Tropical Timber 94 Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: Environmental Modification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.03 male/female
0-14 years: 1.02 male/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male/female
25-54 years: 1 male/female
55-64 years: 0.89 male/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male/female
Total population: 1 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 19.9
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 69.8 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 73.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 66.2 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 12

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 57.3 years
Male: 55.8 years
Female: 58.9 years
Rank: 207

Total fertility rate: 4.53 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 23

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 17.7% (2010)

Drinking water source:

urban: 81.1% of population
rural: 31.2% of population
total: 52.4% of population
urban: 18.9% of population
rural: 68.8% of population
total: 47.6% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density: 0.8 beds/1000 population (2006)

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 28.5% of population
rural: 28.7% of population
total: 28.7% of population
urban: 71.5% of population
rural: 71.3% of population
total: 71.3% of population (2015 est.)

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.85% (2015 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 46
People living with hivaids: 374,100 (2015 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 17
Deaths: 21,700 (2015 est.)
Deaths rank: 12

Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea hepatitis A and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria dengue fever and trypanosomiasis-gambiense
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis
Animal contact disease: rabies

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 3.7% (2014)
Rank: 185

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 23.4% (2014)
Rank: 25

Education expenditures: 2.2% of GDP (2013)
Rank: 157

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write French Lingala Kingwana or Tshiluba
Total population: 63.8%
Male: 78.1%
Female: 50%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 9 years
Male: 10 years
Female: 8 years

Youth unemployment

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Government 2016

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Country name
Conventional long form: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Conventional short form: DRC
Local long form: Republique Democratique du Congo
Local short form: RDC
Former: Congo Free State Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa Zaire
Abbreviation: DRC
Etymology: named for the Congo River most of which lies within the DRC; the river name derives from Kongo a Bantu kingdom that occupied its mouth at the time of Portuguese discovery in the late 15th century and whose name stems from its people the Bakongo meaning 'hunters'

Government type: semi-presidential republic

Capital
Name: Kinshasa
Geographic coordinates: 4 19 S 15 18 E
Time difference: UTC+1

Administrative divisions: 26 provinces (provinces singular - province); Bas-Uele Equateur Haut-Katanga Haut-Lomami Haut-Uele Ituri Kasai Kasai-Central Kasai-Oriental Kinshasa Kongo Central Kwango Kwilu Lomami Lualaba Mai-Ndombe Maniema Mongala Nord-Kivu Nord-Ubangi Sankuru Sud-Kivu Sud-Ubangi Tanganyika Tshopo Tshuapa

Dependent areas

Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)

National holiday: Independence Day 30 June (1960)

Constitution: several previous; latest adopted 13 May 2005 approved by referendum 18-19 December 2005 promulgated 18 February 2006; amended 2011 (2016)

Legal system: civil law system primarily based on Belgian law but also customary and tribal law

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joseph KABILA
Head of government: Prime Minister Samy BADIBANGA ; note - Prime Minister Augustin MATATA PONYO Mapon resigned his position on 14 November 2016
Cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term ; election last held on 28 November 2011 (originally scheduled for 27 November 2016 but rescheduled for April 2018); prime minister appointed by the president
Election results: Joseph KABILA reelected president; percent of vote - Joseph KABILA 49% Etienne TSHISEKEDI (UDPS) 32.3% other 18.7%; note - election marred by serious voting irregularities

Legislative branch
Description: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate and the National Assembly (500 seats; 439 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 61 directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: Senate - last held on 19 January 2007 ; National Assembly - last held on 28 November 2011 (next to be held on 27 November 2016)
Election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 22 MLC 14 FR 7 RCD 7 PDC 6 CDC 3 MSR 3 PALU 2 independent 26 other 18; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PPRD 62 UDPS 41 PPPD 29 MSR 27 MLC 22 PALU 19 UNC 17 ARC 16 AFDC 15 ECT 11 RRC 11 independent 16 other 214 ; note - the November 2011 election was marred by violence including the destruction of ballots in two constituencies resulting in the closure of polling sites; election results were delayed three months strongly contested and continue to be unresolved

Judicial branch
Highest court: Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation ; Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Cassation judges nominated by the Judicial Service Council an independent body of public prosecutors and selected judges of the lower courts; judge tenure NA; Constitutional Court judges - 3 nominated by the president 3 by the Judicial Service Council and 3 by the legislature; judges appointed by the president to serve 9-year non-renewable terms with one-third of the membership renewed every 3 years
Subordinate courts: State Security Court; Court of Appeals ; Tribunal de Grande; magistrates' courts; customary courts

Political parties and leaders:

Union for the Congolese Nation or UNC [Vital KAMERHE]
Union for Democracy and Social Progress or UDPS [Etienne TSHISEKEDI]

International organization participation: ACP AfDB AU CEMAC CEPGL COMESA EITI (compliant country) FAO G-24 G-77 IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt ICRM IDA IFAD IFC IFRCS IHO ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC IOM IPU ISO ITSO ITU ITUC (NGOs) MIGA NAM OIF OPCW PCA SADC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNHCR UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU (NGOs) WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Francois Nkuna BALUMUENE
In the us chancery: 1726 M Street NW Suite 601 Washington DC 20,036
In the us telephone: [1] 234-7,690 through 7,691
In the us FAX: [1] 234-2,609
In the us representative office: New York New York
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador James C. SWAN
From the us embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs Kinshasa Gombe
From the us mailing address: Unit 2,220 DPO AE 9,828
From the us telephone: [243] 556-0151
From the us FAX: [243] 556-0175

Flag description

flag of Democratic Republic of the Congo

: sky blue field divided diagonally from the lower hoist corner to upper fly corner by a red stripe bordered by two narrow yellow stripes; a yellow five-pointed star appears in the upper hoist corner; blue represents peace and hope red the blood of the country's martyrs and yellow the country's wealth and prosperity; the star symbolizes unity and the brilliant future for the country

National symbols: leopard; national colors: sky blue red yellow

National anthem
Name: 'Debout Congolaise'
Lyrics and music: Joseph LUTUMBA/Simon-Pierre BOKA di Mpasi Londi
Note: adopted 1960; replaced when the country was known as Zaire; but readopted in 1997

National heritage

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Economy 2016

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Economy overview:

The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast natural resource wealth - is slowly recovering after decades of decline.
Systemic corruption since independence in 1960 combined with countrywide instability and conflict that began in the early-90s has dramatically reduced national output and government revenue and increased external debt. With the installation of a transitional government in 2003 after peace accords economic conditions slowly began to improve as the transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors and President KABILA began implementing reforms. Progress has been slow to reach the interior of the country although clear changes are evident in Kinshasa and Lubumbashi.
Renewed activity in the mining sector the source of most export income has boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth in recent years although recent commodity price declines threaten to erase progress. An uncertain legal framework corruption and a lack of transparency in government policy are long-term problems for the large mining sector and for the economy as a whole.
The country marked its thirteenth consecutive year of positive economic expansion in 2015. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector and is not reflected in GDP data. The DRC signed a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility with the IMF in 2009 and received $12 billion in multilateral and bilateral debt relief in 2010 but the IMF at the end of 2012 suspended the last three payments under the loan facility - worth $240 million - because of concerns about the lack of transparency in mining contracts. In 2012 the DRC updated its business laws by adhering to OHADA the Organization for the Harmonization of Business Law in Africa.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$62.87 billion (2015 est.)
$58.35 billion (2014 est.)
$53.45 billion (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 102

Real gdp growth rate:

7.7% (2015 est.)
9.2% (2014 est.)
8.5% (2013 est.)

Rank: 15

Real gdp per capita:

$800 (2015 est.)
$700 (2014 est.)
$700 (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 226

Gross national saving:

5.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
7% of GDP (2014 est.)
10.4% of GDP (2013 est.)

Rank: 116

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 73.1%
Government consumption: 13.6%
Investment in fixed capital: 21.8%
Investment in inventories: 0.1%
Exports of goods and services: 25.3%
Imports of goods and services: -33.9%

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 20.4%
Industry: 32.9%
Services: 46.6%

Agriculture products: coffee sugar palm oil rubber tea cotton cocoa quinine cassava (manioc tapioca) bananas plantains peanuts root crops corn fruits; wood products

Industries: mining (copper cobalt gold diamonds coltan zinc tin tungsten) mineral processing consumer products (textiles plastics footwear cigarettes) metal products processed foods and beverages timber cement commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: 6.1% (2015 est.)
Rank: 32

Labor force: 30.05 million (2015 est.)
Rank: 22
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Labor force

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 63% (2012 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 2.3%
Highest 10: 34.7%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $5.444 billion
Expenditures: $5.644 billion
Surplus or deficit: -0.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 52

Taxes and other revenues: 14% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 200

Public debt:

17.6% of GDP (2015 est.)
16.9% of GDP (2014 est.)

Rank: 160

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

1.2% (2015 est.)
1.2% (2014 est.)

Rank: 87

Central bank discount rate:

4% (31 December 2012)
20% (31 December 2011)

Rank: 97

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

19.37% (31 December 2015 est.)
18.69% (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 18

Stock of narrow money:

$1.213 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.123 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 144

Stock of broad money:

$5.018 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$4.402 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 131

Stock of domestic credit:

$3.381 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$2.844 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 131

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:

-$4.726 billion (2015 est.)
-$3.449 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 137

Exports:

$10.35 billion (2015 est.)
$12.32 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 90
Commodities: diamonds copper gold cobalt wood products crude oil coffee
Partners: China 43.5% Zambia 25% South Korea 4.9% Belgium 4.8% (2015)

Imports:

$10.46 billion (2015 est.)
$11.96 billion (2014 est.)

Rank: 95
Commodities: foodstuffs mining and other machinery transport equipment fuels
Partners: China 20.6% South Africa 17.7% Zambia 12.3% Belgium 6.9% Zimbabwe 5.1% India 4.7% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$1.216 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$1.557 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 126

Debt external:

$5.106 billion (31 December 2015 est.)
$5.508 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 129

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:

Congolese francs (CDF) per US dollar -
925.99 (2015 est.)
925.23 (2014 est.)
925.23 (2013 est.)
920.25 (2012 est.)
899 (2011 est.)

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Energy 2016

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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 61,400,000
Access electrification total population: 9%
Access electrification urban areas: 19%
Access electrification rural areas: 2%
Production: 8.7 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 103
Consumption: 9.3 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 102
Exports: 69 million kWh (2014 est.)
Exports rank: 120
Imports: 1.1 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Imports rank: 130
Installed generating capacity: 2.6 million kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 98
Generation sources fossil fuels: 1.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 209
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 66
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 98.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 6
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 167

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 20,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 72
Crude oil exports: 20,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 59
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 172
Crude oil proven reserves: 180 million bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 61

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 166
Products consumption: 24,000 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 129
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 167
Products imports: 22,250 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 110

Natural gas
Production: 8.495 million m³ (2011 est.)
Production rank: 170
Consumption: 8.495 million m³ (2011 est.)
Consumption rank: 129
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 77
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 177
Proven reserves: 991.1 million m³ (1 January 2016 es)
Proven reserves rank: 103

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.4 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 146

Energy consumption per capita

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Communication 2016

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 59,534
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8
Fixed lines rank: 217
Mobile cellular total: 37.753 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 48
Mobile cellular rank: 34

Telephone system
General assessment: barely adequate wire and microwave radio relay service in and between urban areas; domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations; inadequate fixed-line infrastructure
Domestic: state-owned operator providing less than 1 fixed-line connection per 100 persons; given the backdrop of a wholly inadequate fixed-line infrastructure the use of mobile-cellular services has surged and mobile teledensity is over 45 per 100 persons
International: country code - 243; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2015)

Broadcast media: state-owned TV broadcast station with near national coverage; more than a dozen privately owned TV stations - 2 with near national coverage; 2 state-owned radio stations are supplemented by more than 100 private radio stations; transmissions of at least 2 international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet
Country code: .cd
Users total: 3.016 million
Users percent of population: 3.8%
Users rank: 143

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Military 2016

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Military expenditures:

1.72% of GDP (2012)
1.53% of GDP (2011)
1.72% of GDP (2010)

Rank: 49

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18-45 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2012)

Space program

Terrorist groups

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Transportation 2016

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 8
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 13
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 476,352
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 85,839 mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: 9Q (2016)

Airports: 198 (2013)
Rank: 27
With paved runways total: 26
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 3
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 17
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2
With paved runways under 914 m: 1
With unpaved runways total: 172
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 20
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 87
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 65

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: gas 62 km; oil 77 km; refined products 756 km (2013)

Railways
Total: 4,007 km
Narrow gauge: 3,882 km 1.067-m gauge ; 125 km 1.000-m gauge (2014)
Rank: 44

Roadways
Total: 153,497 km
Paved: 2,794 km
Unpaved: 150,703 km
Rank: 32

Waterways: 15,000 km (including the Congo its tributaries and unconnected lakes) (2011)
Rank: 8

Merchant marine
Total: 1
By type: petroleum tanker 1
Foreign owned: 1 (2010)
Rank: 147

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Banana
River or lake port: Boma Bumba Kinshasa Kisangani Matadi Mbandaka ; Kindu (Lualaba); Bukavu Goma (Lake Kivu); Kalemie (Lake Tanganyika)

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Transnational issues 2016

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Disputes international: heads of the Great Lakes states and UN pledged in 2004 to abate tribal rebel and militia fighting in the region including northeast Congo where the UN Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) organized in 1999 maintains over 16,500 uniformed peacekeepers; members of Uganda's Lords Resistance Army forces continue to seek refuge in Congo's Garamba National Park as peace talks with the Uganda Government evolve; the location of the boundary in the broad Congo River with the Republic of the Congo is indefinite except in the Pool Malebo/Stanley Pool area; Uganda and DRC dispute Rukwanzi Island in Lake Albert and other areas on the Semliki River with hydrocarbon potential; boundary commission continues discussions over Congolese-administered triangle of land on the right bank of the Lunkinda River claimed by Zambia near the DRC village of Pweto; DRC accuses Angola of shifting monuments

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees: 245,052 (Rwanda); 5,597 South Sudan (2015); 96,472 (Central African Republic); 30,205 (Burundi) (2016)
IDPs: 1,722,082 (2016)

Illicit drugs: one of Africa's biggest producers of cannabis but mostly for domestic consumption; traffickers exploit lax shipping controls to transit pseudoephedrine through the capital; while rampant corruption and inadequate supervision leave the banking system vulnerable to money laundering the lack of a well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a money-laundering center (2008)