Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) was 8.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 8.0%.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in industry (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 9.1% in 1991 and was at its lowest, 7.8%, in 2021.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 174th of 187 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 9.1% | — |
| 1992 | 9.0% | -0.8% |
| 1993 | 8.8% | -1.5% |
| 1994 | 8.8% | -0.4% |
| 1995 | 8.8% | -0.5% |
| 1996 | 8.9% | +1.8% |
| 1997 | 8.6% | -3.1% |
| 1998 | 8.6% | -1.1% |
| 1999 | 8.4% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 8.3% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 8.2% | -1.3% |
| 2002 | 8.2% | -0.2% |
| 2003 | 8.1% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 8.2% | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 8.2% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 8.1% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 8.2% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 8.0% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 8.3% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 8.4% | +0.9% |
| 2012 | 8.5% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 8.5% | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 8.6% | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 8.5% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 8.4% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 8.4% | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 8.5% | +1.4% |
| 2019 | 8.3% | -2.0% |
| 2020 | 8.2% | -1.9% |
| 2021 | 7.8% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 8.0% | +2.3% |
| 2023 | 8.0% | -0.7% |
| 2024 | 8.0% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 8.0% | +0.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 8.0% is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.9%, 81% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 8.0% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 14.2%, 57% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.8% | 8.4% | 9.1% | 9 |
| 2000s | 8.2% | 8.0% | 8.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.4% | 8.3% | 8.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.0% | 7.8% | 8.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 171 Chad 8.5% compare
- 172 Liberia 8.3% compare
- 173 Tanzania 8.1% compare
- 175 Papua New Guinea 7.9% compare
- 176 Luxembourg 7.6% compare
- 177 Solomon Islands 7.6% compare
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 23,407 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 64.13 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 41,856 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 4.48 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 2 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 4,595 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 1,696 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 61.26 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 3.69 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 3.33 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in industry (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Employment in industry (% of total employment) in Democratic Republic of Congo was 8.0% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 9.1% in 1991.
- What is the lowest employment in industry (% of total employment) recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.8% in 2021.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for employment in industry (% of total employment)?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 174th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment in industry (% of total employment) rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The industry sector consists of mining and quarrying, manufacturing, construction, and public utilities (electricity, gas, and water), in accordance with divisions 2-5 (ISIC 2) or categories C-F (ISIC 3) or categories B-F (ISIC 4).