Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP was 2.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2025
Source: IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
The most recent figure for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Democratic Republic of Congo is 2.1%, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 46.7% on the previous year and down 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 11.3% in 2010 and was at its lowest, -1.8%, in 1983.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 102nd out of 198 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.
Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 0.1% | — |
| 1971 | 0.1% | -22.2% |
| 1972 | 0.2% | +65.3% |
| 1973 | 0.2% | +32.8% |
| 1974 | 0.5% | +140.6% |
| 1975 | 0.1% | -83.6% |
| 1976 | 2.5% | +2673.9% |
| 1977 | 0.1% | -94.0% |
| 1978 | 0.6% | +331.2% |
| 1979 | 1.0% | +50.2% |
| 1980 | 0.8% | -20.2% |
| 1981 | 0.6% | -27.1% |
| 1982 | -0.0% | -103.1% |
| 1983 | -1.8% | +9989.4% |
| 1984 | -0.4% | -76.4% |
| 1985 | 1.0% | -332.9% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | -92.9% |
| 1987 | -0.7% | -1148.6% |
| 1988 | -0.0% | -93.8% |
| 1989 | -0.1% | +52.3% |
| 1990 | -0.2% | +128.4% |
| 1991 | 0.1% | -183.2% |
| 1992 | -0.0% | -106.9% |
| 1993 | 0.1% | -823.2% |
| 1994 | -0.0% | -140.2% |
| 1995 | -0.4% | +1436.7% |
| 1996 | 0.4% | -208.5% |
| 1997 | -0.7% | -269.5% |
| 1998 | 1.0% | -235.5% |
| 1999 | 0.2% | -76.0% |
| 2000 | 0.5% | +108.3% |
| 2001 | 1.4% | +178.5% |
| 2002 | 2.1% | +56.4% |
| 2003 | 4.4% | +103.7% |
| 2004 | 4.0% | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 1.4% | -64.1% |
| 2006 | 1.7% | +15.9% |
| 2007 | 9.8% | +494.9% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | -22.8% |
| 2009 | -1.3% | -117.2% |
| 2010 | 11.3% | -968.4% |
| 2011 | 6.0% | -46.7% |
| 2012 | 9.6% | +59.2% |
| 2013 | 4.9% | -49.5% |
| 2014 | 3.9% | -19.6% |
| 2015 | 2.9% | -25.8% |
| 2016 | 2.4% | -16.7% |
| 2017 | 2.8% | +15.6% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | +8.1% |
| 2019 | 2.9% | -4.4% |
| 2020 | 3.2% | +11.3% |
| 2021 | 2.8% | -11.5% |
| 2022 | 2.0% | -29.5% |
| 2023 | 3.4% | +69.9% |
| 2024 | 3.8% | +13.2% |
| 2025 | 2.1% | -46.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0.5% | 0.1% | 2.5% | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.1% | -1.8% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1% | -0.7% | 1.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.2% | -1.3% | 9.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.0% | 2.4% | 11.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.9% | 2.0% | 3.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 99 El Salvador 2.1% compare
- 100 Armenia 2.1% compare
- 101 Sint Maarten (Dutch part) 2.1% compare
- 103 Australia 2.0% compare
- 104 Poland 1.9% compare
- 105 Palestine, State of 1.9% compare
More economy & growth data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 14,418 constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 22.51 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3971 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 320.34 current US$ per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), annual 16.18 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 1,063 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current LCU), per 857,452 current LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 7.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 0.3688 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (constant 2015 US$) 297.53 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp in Democratic Republic of Congo was 2.1% in 2025, according to IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 11.3% in 2010.
- What is the lowest foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was -1.8% in 1983.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 102nd out of 198 countries with data for 2025.
- Is foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of gdp rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from IMF International Financial Statistics and Balance of Payments; World Bank International Debt Statistics and GDP estimates; and OECD GDP estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Foreign direct investment, net inflows as share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Net inflows of foreign direct investment from foreign investors to the reporting economy.