Unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Unemployment rate was 4.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 4.4% for unemployment rate in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 5.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2005.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 114th of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More work & labour data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Legislation on sexual harassment in employment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Criminal sanctions or compensation for workplace sexual harassment 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Women can take the same jobs as men 1 (1=yes; 0=no) (2023)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 64.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 66.8% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 92.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 61.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 64.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 66.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 62.3% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo was 4.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2005.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for unemployment rate?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 114th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.