Merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Merchandise imports was 28.10 billion current US$ in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
In 2025, merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 28.10 billion current US$. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.6% on the previous year and up 248.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 28.10 billion current US$ in 2025 and was at its lowest, 78.00 million current US$, in 1967.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 76th out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 235.00 million current US$ | — |
| 1961 | 200.00 million current US$ | -14.9% |
| 1962 | 86.00 million current US$ | -57.0% |
| 1963 | 131.00 million current US$ | +52.3% |
| 1964 | 87.00 million current US$ | -33.6% |
| 1965 | 97.00 million current US$ | +11.5% |
| 1966 | 104.00 million current US$ | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 78.00 million current US$ | -25.0% |
| 1968 | 103.00 million current US$ | +32.1% |
| 1969 | 132.00 million current US$ | +28.2% |
| 1970 | 179.00 million current US$ | +35.6% |
| 1971 | 203.00 million current US$ | +13.4% |
| 1972 | 208.00 million current US$ | +2.5% |
| 1973 | 251.00 million current US$ | +20.7% |
| 1974 | 349.00 million current US$ | +39.0% |
| 1975 | 300.00 million current US$ | -14.0% |
| 1976 | 224.00 million current US$ | -25.3% |
| 1977 | 203.00 million current US$ | -9.4% |
| 1978 | 196.00 million current US$ | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 199.00 million current US$ | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 1.52 billion current US$ | +663.3% |
| 1981 | 1.42 billion current US$ | -6.5% |
| 1982 | 1.30 billion current US$ | -8.7% |
| 1983 | 1.21 billion current US$ | -6.5% |
| 1984 | 1.18 billion current US$ | -3.1% |
| 1985 | 1.25 billion current US$ | +6.0% |
| 1986 | 1.28 billion current US$ | +2.9% |
| 1987 | 1.77 billion current US$ | +38.3% |
| 1988 | 1.61 billion current US$ | -9.2% |
| 1989 | 1.93 billion current US$ | +19.6% |
| 1990 | 1.74 billion current US$ | -9.7% |
| 1991 | 1.30 billion current US$ | -25.0% |
| 1992 | 935.00 million current US$ | -28.3% |
| 1993 | 614.00 million current US$ | -34.3% |
| 1994 | 667.00 million current US$ | +8.6% |
| 1995 | 871.00 million current US$ | +30.6% |
| 1996 | 1.09 billion current US$ | +25.0% |
| 1997 | 770.00 million current US$ | -29.3% |
| 1998 | 1.10 billion current US$ | +43.1% |
| 1999 | 568.00 million current US$ | -48.5% |
| 2000 | 683.00 million current US$ | +20.2% |
| 2001 | 790.00 million current US$ | +15.7% |
| 2002 | 1.08 billion current US$ | +36.8% |
| 2003 | 1.50 billion current US$ | +38.3% |
| 2004 | 2.05 billion current US$ | +37.2% |
| 2005 | 2.69 billion current US$ | +31.2% |
| 2006 | 2.89 billion current US$ | +7.5% |
| 2007 | 3.40 billion current US$ | +17.6% |
| 2008 | 4.30 billion current US$ | +26.5% |
| 2009 | 3.90 billion current US$ | -9.3% |
| 2010 | 4.50 billion current US$ | +15.4% |
| 2011 | 5.50 billion current US$ | +22.2% |
| 2012 | 6.10 billion current US$ | +10.9% |
| 2013 | 6.30 billion current US$ | +3.3% |
| 2014 | 7.09 billion current US$ | +12.5% |
| 2015 | 8.07 billion current US$ | +13.8% |
| 2016 | 5.49 billion current US$ | -31.9% |
| 2017 | 5.80 billion current US$ | +5.7% |
| 2018 | 7.93 billion current US$ | +36.7% |
| 2019 | 8.82 billion current US$ | +11.3% |
| 2020 | 6.94 billion current US$ | -21.4% |
| 2021 | 7.21 billion current US$ | +4.0% |
| 2022 | 11.41 billion current US$ | +58.1% |
| 2023 | 25.53 billion current US$ | +123.8% |
| 2024 | 26.60 billion current US$ | +4.2% |
| 2025 | 28.10 billion current US$ | +5.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 28.10 billion current US$ is above the median for low income countries, which is 3.66 billion current US$, 7.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 28.10 billion current US$ is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.46 billion current US$, 5.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | +663.3% | 199.00 million current US$ | 1.52 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 125.30 million current US$ | 78.00 million current US$ | 235.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1970s | 231.20 million current US$ | 179.00 million current US$ | 349.00 million current US$ | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.45 billion current US$ | 1.18 billion current US$ | 1.93 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 965.90 million current US$ | 568.00 million current US$ | 1.74 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.33 billion current US$ | 683.00 million current US$ | 4.30 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.56 billion current US$ | 4.50 billion current US$ | 8.82 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.63 billion current US$ | 6.94 billion current US$ | 28.10 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More private sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Merchandise trade 66.1% (2025)
- Food imports 4.8% (2023)
- Manufactures imports 50.2% (2023)
- Food exports 0.6% (2023)
- Manufactures exports 17.9% (2023)
- Merchandise exports 32.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 284.49 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.3526 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 7.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 249.04 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Merchandise imports in Democratic Republic of Congo was 28.10 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 28.10 billion current US$ in 2025.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 78.00 million current US$ in 1967.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for merchandise imports?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 76th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 248.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.