Development pathways for the DRC to 2050

This report analyzes poverty and inequality trends in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), highlighting that the country has one of the highest numbers of people living in extreme poverty globally and is unlikely to meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals on its current trajectory.

• The Democratic Republic of Congo experiences exceptionally high levels of extreme poverty, with 73% of the population living on less than US$1.90 a day in 2018. With approximately 60 million people in extreme poverty, it has the second-highest number of poor people in sub-Saharan Africa, trailing only Nigeria.
• Poverty trends vary by region and setting. Between 2005 and 2012, extreme poverty declined by 16% to 21% in Equateur, Kivu, and the former Orientale provinces, but increased by 8.6% to 23.3% in Maniema and the Kasaï provinces. Additionally, poverty has declined faster in rural areas than in urban areas, though the poverty rate in Kinshasa remains lower than the national average.
• Beyond monetary income, the DRC faces severe multidimensional poverty, including deficits in nutrition, clean water, health services, electricity, and education. The global Multidimensional Poverty Index indicates that 64.5% of the population is multidimensionally poor, with 36.8% experiencing severe multidimensional poverty.
• Forecasts for the 'Current Path' suggest the DRC will fail to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals for eradicating extreme poverty. It is estimated that 69% of the population (about 86 million people) will live in extreme poverty by 2030, and 34.5% (nearly 72 million people) by 2050.
• Income inequality in the DRC, measured by the Gini index, was 42.1 in 2012 and is forecast to be 42.4 in 2019. Root causes of poverty in the country include poor governance, infrastructure shortages, low schooling, high fertility rates, and armed conflicts.

APA

Yeboua, K. (2023). Development pathways for the DRC to 2050. Institute for Security Studies. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=05-poverty-and-inequality

Chicago

Yeboua, Kouassi. Development pathways for the DRC to 2050. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=05-poverty-and-inequality.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Yeboua |first1=Kouassi |title=Development pathways for the DRC to 2050 |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=15 May 2023 |url=https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=05-poverty-and-inequality |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{yeboua2023development, author = {Yeboua, Kouassi}, title = {{Development pathways for the DRC to 2050}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://futures.issafrica.org/special-reports/guide.pdf?report=country/drc&topic=05-poverty-and-inequality}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }