Business & Markets · Credit to private sector · DR Congo
DR Congo’s credit to private sector was 11.3% of GDP in 2023.
11.3% of GDP
2023
Up 2.7 pp from 2022.
Stale — last updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
11.3% of GDP
What it is. This measure adds up the loans and other financing that banks and similar financial institutions extend to private firms and households, then divides the total by the size of the economy. It shows how far the formal financial system supports private activity such as working capital, trade finance and home or vehicle purchases. Lending by informal lenders, credit to the government and funds that firms raise abroad sit outside it.
Neither way is good in itself. A higher share can mean a deeper financial system with more money available to businesses. A higher share can also mean households and firms carry more debt, so a rise or fall settles little by itself. The latest figure, for 2023, is 11.3% of GDP, up from 8.5% of GDP a year earlier, a rise of 2.7 percentage points. That is the highest level since 2014. The lowest in the same span was 5.4% of GDP in 2014.
Why it matters. At 11.3% of GDP, formal private credit in DR Congo is small next to the size of the economy. Many firms and households therefore rely on their own savings, supplier terms or informal lenders for finance. The jump over the last year shows lending is expanding, and the next annual reading will show whether that pace holds.
| Period | Credit to private sector · DR Congo |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 5.4% of GDP |
| 2015 | 5.9% of GDP |
| 2016 | 7.1% of GDP |
| 2017 | 5.5% of GDP |
| 2018 | 5.9% of GDP |
| 2019 | 6.6% of GDP |
| 2020 | 7.8% of GDP |
| 2021 | 6.8% of GDP |
| 2022 | 8.5% of GDP |
| 2023 | 11.3% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Credit to private sector, DR Congo, 2023; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/business/private-sector-credit/dr-congo
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
Strata AI commentary is coming — reviewed, dated, and generated only from the figures on this page.
Methodology
Domestic credit to the private sector as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series FS.AST.PRVT.GD.ZS), retrieved through the World Bank API and published under CC BY 4.0. Updated annually; the World Bank's own source notes apply.