DEVELOPMENT PATHWAYS FOR THE DRC TO 2050

This report examines the health sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), detailing a system in near-collapse due to conflict and mismanagement, while projecting health outcomes and epidemiological shifts toward 2050.

• The health system in the DR Congo is characterized by a near-collapse resulting from decades of conflict, mismanagement, and lack of investment, leading to high reliance on non-state actors. In 2013, religious organisations managed 45% of hospitals, while the government managed 44% and private firms managed 11%.
• Access to basic healthcare is severely limited by funding shortages, corruption, and a lack of qualified staff. Approximately 74% of the population lives more than 5 km from a health centre, and households fund 60%–70% of healthcare costs, which is higher than the world average of 46%.
• While life expectancy increased from 53.7 years in 1990 to 62.5 in 2019, the DR Congo is projected to fall further behind other low-income countries, with life expectancy expected to reach about 70 years by 2050. Infant mortality declined from 95 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 51 in 2019, and maternal mortality fell from 879 to 426 deaths per 100,000 live births over the same period.
• Child malnutrition remains a critical issue, with 43% of children under five suffering from chronic malnutrition and 43% being stunted, significantly exceeding the African average of 30% and global average of 21.9%.
• The DR Congo is expected to undergo an epidemiological transition in 2030, when deaths from non-communicable diseases will exceed those from communicable diseases. By 2050, deaths from non-communicable diseases are projected to be twice as high as those from communicable diseases. Currently, malaria causes 80% of deaths among children under five.
• Government spending on health is among the lowest globally and fails to meet the Abuja Declaration target of 15% of GDP. In 2017, government expenditure on healthcare was less than 4% of GDP, amounting to approximately US$2.00 per capita.

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=07-health

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=07-health.

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=07-health |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=07-health}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }