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.
Unemployment rate in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.3% | — |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 4.4% | +0.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 4.4% is above the median for low income countries, which is 4.4%, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 4.4% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5.4%, 81% of the median. (47 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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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About this data
Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.