Country Fast Facts: Dem. Rep. of Congo

Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire.

MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through the use of brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA.

He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. A cease-fire was signed in July 1999 by the DRC, Congolese armed rebel groups, Angola, Namibia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe but sporadic fighting continued.

Laurent KABILA was assassinated in January 2001 and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying eastern Congo; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity.

A transitional government was set up in July 2003. Joseph KABILA as president and four vice presidents represented the former government, former rebel groups, and the political opposition.

The transitional government held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures in 2006. KABILA was inaugurated president in December 2006. The National Assembly was installed in September 2006. Its president, Vital KAMERHE, was chosen in December. Provincial assemblies were constituted in early 2007, and elected governors and national senators in January 2007.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population:
65,751,512
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)

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Age structure:
0-14 years: 47.6% (male 15,718,614/female 15,557,058)
15-64 years: 49.9% (male 16,224,734/female 16,571,549)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 680,313/female 999,244) (2007 est.)

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Median age:
total: 16.1 years
male: 15.8 years
female: 16.4 years (2007 est.)

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Population growth rate:
3.39% (2007 est.)

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Birth rate:
42.96 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Death rate:
10.34 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

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Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.979 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.681 male(s)/female
total population: 0.985 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

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Infant mortality rate:
total: 65.52 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 71.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

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Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.2 years
male: 54.97 years
female: 59.5 years (2007 est.)

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Total fertility rate:
6.37 children born/woman (2007 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.2% (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.1 million (2003 est.)

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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
100,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)

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Nationality:
noun: Congolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Congolese or Congo

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Ethnic groups:
over 200 African ethnic groups of which the majority are Bantu; the four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population

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Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other (includes syncretic sects and indigenous beliefs) 10%

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Languages:
French (official), Lingala (a lingua franca trade language), Kingwana (a dialect of Kiswahili or Swahili), Kikongo, Tshiluba

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Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French, Lingala, Kingwana, or Tshiluba
total population: 65.5%
male: 76.2%
female: 55.1% (2003 est.)

The economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo - a nation endowed with vast potential wealth - is recovering from two decades of decline. Conflict, which began in August 1998, dramatically reduced national output and government revenue, increased external debt, and resulted in the deaths of perhaps 3.5 million people from violence, famine, and disease. Foreign businesses curtailed operations due to uncertainty about the outcome of the conflict, lack of infrastructure, and the difficult operating environment. Conditions began to improve in late 2002 with the withdrawal of a large portion of the invading foreign troops. The transitional government reopened relations with international financial institutions and international donors, and President KABILA has begun implementing reforms. Much economic activity still occurs in the informal sector, and is not reflected in GDP data. Economic stability improved during the period 2003-06, although an uncertain legal framework, corruption, and a lack of transparency in government policy continues to hamper growth. In 2005-06, renewed activity in the mining sector, the source of most export income, boosted Kinshasa's fiscal position and GDP growth. The International Monetary Fund program for the DRC, however, expired at the end of March 2006 and probably will not be reinstated until mid-2007. Government reforms and improved security may lead to increased government revenues, outside budget assistance, and foreign direct investment in 2007.

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GDP (purchasing power parity):
$44.44 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.98 billion (2006 est.)

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GDP - real growth rate:
6.4% (2006 est.)

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GDP - per capita (PPP):
$700 (2006 est.)

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GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 11%
services: 34% (2000 est.)

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Labor force:
15 million (2006 est.)

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Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

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Unemployment rate:
NA%

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Population below poverty line:
NA%

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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18.2% (2006 est.)

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Budget:
revenues: $700 million
expenditures: $2 billion (2006 est.)

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Agriculture - products:
coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber, tea, quinine, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, bananas, root crops, corn, fruits; wood products

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Industries:
mining (diamonds, gold, copper, cobalt, coltan zinc), mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, commercial ship repair

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Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

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Electricity - production:
353 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - consumption:
658.3 million kWh (2004)

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Electricity - exports:
NA

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Electricity - imports:
330 million kWh (2004)

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Oil - production:
21,090 bbl/day (2004)

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Oil - consumption:
8,200 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - exports:
229,700 bbl/day (2004 est.)

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Oil - imports:
8,220 bbl/day (2006 est.)

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Oil - proved reserves:
187 million bbl (1 January 2005)

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Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

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Natural gas - proved reserves:
991.1 million cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

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Exports:
$1.108 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Exports - commodities:
diamonds, copper, crude oil, coffee, cobalt

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Exports - partners:
Belgium 33.3%, China 24.1%, Chile 8.9%, Finland 8.2%, US 5.6% (2006)

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Imports:
$1.319 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

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Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels

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Imports - partners:
South Africa 19.3%, Belgium 11.7%, France 9.3%, Zambia 7.5%, Kenya 7.4%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.8% (2006)

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Debt - external:
$10 billion (2006 est.)

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Economic aid - recipient:
$2.2 billion (FY03/04)

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Currency (code):
Congolese franc (CDF)

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Exchange rates:
Congolese francs per US dollar - 464.69 (2006), 437.86 (2005), 401.04 (2004), 405.34 (2003), 346.49 (2002)

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Fiscal year:
calendar year