Poverty & Equity Brief October 2024 DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Monitoring progress on poverty and inequality in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is complicated due to the lack of recent data. Between 2011 and 2022, the DRC experienced an average annual per-capita GDP growth of 6 percent. Despite this solid growth, DRC has made little progress in bringing back its GDP per capita to its 1960 level. The proportion of the population below the national poverty line declined from 64 percent in 2012 to 56.2 percent in 2020. Poverty remains widespread, with relatively high inequality. Moreover, due mainly to high population growth, the number of poor people has remained stagnant. Current estimates suggest that, in 2023, DRC was home to the second-highest number of extreme poor in Sub-Saharan Africa, with almost 50 million. Although poverty and deprivation are high throughout the country, significant regional disparities exist, with the poor concentrated along two main corridors where 60 percent of Congolese live. The poverty rate measured by the international poverty line of $2.15 a day has increased from 69.9 percent in 2012 to 78.9 percent in 2020 (due in part to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic). The poverty rate is estimated to have decreased by 4.5 percentage points in 2023, and poverty would be 74.5 percent. The DRC's economy faces risks from global market changes and geopolitical tensions. Violence in eastern DRC has caused over seven million internally displaced people (IDP) as of June 2024 and is exacerbating the challenges facing the country, with adverse impact on poor household livelihoods. Cyclical conflicts and pervasive fragility are fundamental obstacles to inclusive development in DRC. $2.15 Poverty Rate $6.85 Poverty Rate Gini Index Prosperity Gap 2020 2020 2020 2020 78.9% 97.7% 44.7 26.0 Poverty Rate Inequality 100 70 95 60 90 50 Poverty Rate (%) Gini Index 85 40 80 30 75 20 70 10 65 0 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 $2.15 Poverty Rate $3.65 Poverty Rate $6.85 Poverty Rate Gini Index Poverty at Different Lines Poverty Line Number of Poor Rate Year (Thousands) (%)   National Poverty Line 52,183.5 56.2 2020         International Poverty Line ($2.15/day) 73,300.2 78.9 2020         Lower Middle Income Class Poverty Line ($3.65/day) 85,497.6 92.1 2020         Upper Middle Income Class Poverty Line ($6.85/day) 90,688.5 97.7 2020         Multidimensional Poverty Measure   83.6 2020         Group and Multidimensional Poverty Poverty by Group Poverty Rate (%) Multidimensional Poverty Components (% of Pop.)   Urban population 47.3 Daily income less than US$2.15 per person 79.0 Rural population 83.7 At least one school-aged child is not enrolled in school 10.2 Males 70.2 No adult has completed primary education 22.5 Females 69.2 No access to limited-standard drinking water 35.9 0 to 14 years old 76.0 No access to limited-standard sanitation 81.7 15 to 64 years old 64.8 No access to electricity 68.9 65 and older 56.8 Without education (16+) 76.3 Primary education (16+) 74.1 Secondary education (16+) 58.7 Tertiary/post-secondary education (16+) 18.4 Note: Data for the "Poverty by Group" table is derived from a 2012 survey and data for the "Multidimensional Poverty Components" table is derived from a 2020 survey. The rates in the "Poverty by Group" table above are shown at the $2.15 international line. "N/A" denotes a missing/removed value, while "N/A*" refers to a value which was removed due to having fewer than 30 observations. Poverty Data & Methodology National household consumption surveys have been done in 2005, 2012, and 2020. Poverty estimates for other years are based on imputation approaches with non- budget surveys. There are several concerns over data gaps and quality, including comparability, sampling frame, and CPI. A new national household survey, including consumption data, is expected to be completed by December 2024 through the World Bank ENCORE project. The most important issue in terms of data gaps is the obsolescence of the sampling frame, which is still based on the population and housing census implemented in 1984. While implementing the new population census remains challenging despite the political will to make it happen, a sampling frame based on geospatial data has been developed through Technical Assistance from the Bank. Tracking poverty over time requires comparable consumption data and a consistent consumer price index (ideally for food and non-food items) to update the poverty lines. However, there is no consistent CPI series in DRC, both in terms of geographic coverage and methodology. Without a reliable consumer price index, unit prices from the consumption modules are used to compute price indices for surveys. Harmonization The numbers presented in this brief are based on the SSAPOV database. SSAPOV is a database of harmonized nationally representative household surveys managed by Sub-Saharan Team for Statistical Development. It contains more than 100 surveys covering 45 out of the 48 countries in the SSA region. The three countries not covered in the database are Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, and Somalia. Terms of use of the data adhere to agreements with the original data producers. Africa Eastern & Southern Poverty Economist: Aly Sanoh