What DRC sells and buys, and with whom
DRC exported US$29.6bn of goods in 2024 and imported US$11.5bn, a surplus of US$18.1bn. 2% of its exports went to other SADC countries, which supplied 29% of its imports.
DRC's trade since 2012
Exports and imports of goods, and exports to other SADC countries, US dollars
Who buys from DRC
Exports by destination, 2024. China takes 73%.
What DRC sells, and to whom
Exports by product group and partner, 2024
Hover over a band or a name to follow it. Flows under 0.4% of the total (US$704m in all) are not drawn.
DRC's main exports
Top products (four-digit HS headings), 2024, with the value five years before
Trade with each SADC neighbour
2024, with the main products each way| Neighbour | DRC sold | DRC bought | Balance | Mostly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zambia | US$320m | US$1.2bn | −US$881m | Sold copper ore; bought soft drinks · more |
| South Africa | US$91m | US$1.4bn | −US$1.3bn | Sold refined copper; bought cereal groats, meal and pellets · more |
| Namibia | US$180m | US$216m | −US$35m | Sold cobalt oxides and hydroxides; bought frozen fish · more |
| Tanzania | US$6.8m | US$313m | −US$307m | Sold unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new…; bought natural magnesium carbonate · more |
| Angola | US$5.4m | US$173m | −US$167m | Sold other machinery; bought steel bars · more |
| Zimbabwe | US$13m | US$7.5m | +US$5.4m | Sold electricity; bought coal · more |
| Malawi | US$42k | US$9.9m | −US$9.8m | Sold tobacco leaf; bought poultry meat · more |
| Mozambique | US$0 | US$3.7m | −US$3.7m | bought electricity · more |
| Mauritius | US$1.8m | US$21k | +US$1.8m | Sold refined fuels and oils; bought phones and network equipment · more |
| Madagascar | US$1.2m | US$35k | +US$1.1m | Sold plants and parts of plants; bought cars · more |
| Lesotho | US$0 | US$29k | −US$29k | bought garments, made up of fabrics · more |
How processed DRC's trade is
Exports and imports by stage of processing, 2024
Raw: unprocessed farm goods, ores, minerals, crude oil, coal and gas. Processed materials: refined metals and fuels, chemicals, processed farm goods for industry. Refined gold counts here. Manufactured goods: machinery, vehicles, parts, consumer goods and packaged food.
Analysis: DRC's value-addition balance and openings
For members: where DRC earns and spends at each stage of processing, with SADC and with the world; how much rides on a few products and buyers; what it is competitive in; which exports grew or shrank; where its exports meet preferential terms; and the products it could sell to neighbours, or buy from them instead of from outside the region.
The trade analysis for DRC is part of the Individual plan
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CEPII BACI, built from UN Comtrade with each flow reconciled between exporter and importer (Etalab Open Licence 2.0). Values in current US dollars; exports valued free on board. Figures can differ from national statistics, and include non-monetary gold. About the data