Congo economy growth: what do the DRC figures say in 2026?

The Congolese economy was worth 91.0 billion US dollars in 2025 (World Bank, WDI, July 2026), or about 807 dollars per head (same source). This figure in current dollars also reflects revisions and the exchange rate, not only real growth.

Real growth was 8.5% in 2023, 6.1% in 2024 and 5.8% in 2025 (World Bank, WDI, July 2026). The World Bank country overview of 25 September 2026 gives a slightly lower estimate for 2025, 5.5%, and projects 5.1% on average for 2026-2028. The IMF country page shows projected 2026 growth of 5.9%. The sources differ: treat it as a range of 5 to 6%.

Mining drives it: according to the World Bank, mining output grew 10.1% in 2025 (against 11.9% in 2024), supported by copper.

Inflation fell sharply: 7.5% in 2025 against 17.7% in 2024 according to the World Bank. On 6 October 2026 the Central Bank of the Congo (BCC) showed annual inflation of 3.678% as of 3 October (source INS), a policy rate of 12.5% and a rate of 2,267.73 Congolese francs per dollar. These figures are not comparable: an annual average on one side, a twelve-month change on a given date on the other.

Over time the franc has lost ground: the average official rate went from 1,647.8 francs per dollar in 2019 to 2,693.2 in 2025 (World Bank, WDI). For 2026 the IMF projects inflation of 3.3% (IMF country page). For an operator that collects in francs and pays in dollars, this is an exchange-rate risk to be priced.

The country had 112,832,473 inhabitants in 2025 (World Bank, WDI). It is a young population: 45.9% are under 15 (same source, 2025). The share under 25 and the population of Kinshasa were not found in an open source and are therefore left out.

The urban population is 45.1% of the total in 2025 (World Bank, WDI): more than half of Congolese live outside cities.

Purchasing power is low: 81.1% of the population lives below 3 dollars a day in 2025 and about 69% below the national poverty line. Access to electricity reaches only 22.5% of the population in 2024 (World Bank, WDI).

Minerals dominate foreign trade: 76.3% of merchandise exports in 2023 were ores and metals (World Bank, WDI, based on UN trade data). This is the latest year in the series; other sources give higher shares, which were not verified. Foreign-currency earnings therefore follow metal prices.

According to ARPTC (reported by Ecofin Agency on 13 May 2026, data for the fourth quarter of 2025), the DRC had 73.9 million active mobile subscriptions at the end of 2025, a penetration rate of 65.9%, and mobile internet penetration reached 33%. These are subscriptions, not people: one customer can hold several SIM cards. The ARPTC report itself could not be opened: the figure comes from a trade outlet quoting the regulator.

The World Bank counts 63,961,751 mobile cellular subscriptions in 2024 (WDI, different definition and year) and 19.7% of people using the internet in 2024. The gap with the 33% above comes from definitions.

For mobile money, ARPTC records 34.3 million active subscriptions in the fourth quarter of 2025, a penetration of 30.6% (same article). The World Bank Global Findex shows that 39.2% of adults had an account, bank or mobile money, in 2024, against 27.4% in 2022. Finally, the GSMA study The Mobile Economy 2025 ranks the DRC among the fifteen markets adding the most mobile internet subscribers between 2025 and 2030, with 15 million more (projection).

The number and value of mobile money transactions were not found in an open primary source and are therefore absent.

Three conclusions follow. They are Woobet's reading, not sourced figures.

• Payments: mobile money is a broad digital channel, more widespread than a classic bank account. Without mobile money integration, an operator misses a large share of customers.
• Customers: a young population, less than half urban, with low purchasing power.
• Risks to face openly: the conflict in the East (the World Bank sees risks tilted to the downside), the volatile franc, uneven electricity and network, an economy reliant on one sector.

Woobet Betting Solutions is based in Kinshasa. According to its website it holds an official gambling licence in the DRC (sports betting, casino, lottery); the offer is for businesses only (B2B), not for players. See why invest in the DRC, the betting franchise and partner models and what is Woobet. Contact for the data room (under a confidentiality agreement): inquiry@woobet.it.com.

Each figure was read on 6 October 2026 in the source indicated. Limits: different years (2023 to 2026), revisable projections, ARPTC read via a trade outlet. The information is general in nature and is neither legal advice nor an investment recommendation.