Economy · Public debt · DR Congo
DR Congo’s public debt was 14.9% of GDP in 2022.
14.9% of GDP
2022
Down 137.2 pp from 1997.
Stale — last updated 8 Oct 2026
In plain words
14.9% of GDP
What it is. This measure takes everything the central government owes and divides it by the value of the country's annual output. Dividing by GDP lets debt be compared across years and countries of different sizes. It covers the central government only, so borrowing by other parts of the public sector falls outside it.
Lower is better. A lower ratio means the state owes less relative to what the economy produces, so less of its income has to go on repayments and it has more room to borrow in a downturn. The latest figure, 14.9% of GDP for 2022, is the lowest since 1990. The highest in that span was 289.8% of GDP in 1990, so the ratio now sits at the very bottom of its range.
Why it matters. A debt burden of 14.9% of GDP is small next to the size of the economy, so interest and repayments should take a modest share of government revenue in DR Congo. That leaves the state more room to borrow for roads, power or emergencies, and lenders have less reason to fear a repayment crisis. The 1990 level of 289.8% of GDP shows how far the ratio has fallen. The next annual figures will show whether it stays near this low.
| Period | Public debt · DR Congo |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 289.8% of GDP |
| 1991 | 113.6% of GDP |
| 1992 | 128.4% of GDP |
| 1993 | 104% of GDP |
| 1994 | 169.8% of GDP |
| 1995 | 232.9% of GDP |
| 1996 | 243.6% of GDP |
| 1997 | 152.2% of GDP |
| 2022 | 14.9% of GDP |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0) · Licence: CC BY 4.0
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Strata-AF™ Data, Public debt, DR Congo, 2022; source World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0), retrieved 8 Oct 2026; https://data.strata-af.com/economy/public-debt/dr-congo
Data insights · Worked out from the published figures
What this means
Working this out from the published figures…
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Methodology
Central government debt, total, as a share of GDP. Unit: % of GDP. The measure covers central government only.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (series GC.DOD.TOTL.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.