Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) was 46.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of female sole proprietors in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2014–2024
Source: World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026. Measured in % of sole proprietors.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 46.7% for share of female sole proprietors in 2024.
That represents a change of up 23.0% on the previous year and up 66.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of female sole proprietors in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 49.7% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 11.5%, in 2019.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 15th of 78 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of sole proprietors | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 28.0% | — |
| 2015 | 27.9% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 27.4% | -1.7% |
| 2017 | 27.4% | -0.0% |
| 2018 | 20.5% | -25.0% |
| 2019 | 11.5% | -43.9% |
| 2020 | 30.3% | +162.6% |
| 2021 | 43.1% | +42.4% |
| 2022 | 49.7% | +15.3% |
| 2023 | 37.9% | -23.7% |
| 2024 | 46.7% | +23.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 46.7% is above the median for low income countries, which is 28.1%, 1.7× the median. (9 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 46.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 32.8%, 1.4× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 23.8% | 11.5% | 28.0% | 6 |
| 2020s | 41.5% | 30.3% | 49.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More private sector data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Merchandise trade 66.1% (2025)
- Food imports 10.5% (2024)
- Manufactures imports 62.6% (2024)
- Merchandise imports 28.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 4.59 billion current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 1.3% (2024)
- Manufactures exports 15.4% (2024)
- Merchandise exports 32.10 billion current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 529.41 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 284.49 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of female sole proprietors in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Share of female sole proprietors in Democratic Republic of Congo was 46.7% in 2024, according to World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026.
- What is the highest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 49.7% in 2022.
- What is the lowest share of female sole proprietors recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.5% in 2019.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for share of female sole proprietors?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 15th out of 78 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of female sole proprietors rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank's Entrepreneurship Survey and database (https://www.worldbank.org/en/programs/entrepreneurship). Downloaded on May 2, 2026, published as part of Share of female sole proprietors (% of sole proprietors). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of female sole proprietors is the proportion of female newly registered sole proprietors out of the total number of newly registered sole proprietors in the economy in the calendar year. A sole proprietorship is a business entity owned and managed by a single individual who is indistinguishable from the business and personally liable.