Congo, Dem. Rep.: Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Congo, Dem. Rep.'s internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) fell 5.8% on 2022 (from 4 million to 3.77 million).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (2010 to 2022), the average change was +46.2% and a typical year strayed about 144.5% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 495.2% in 2012 and the biggest yearly fall was 60% in 2010. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 the straight-line trend is upward, about 348,564 a year. A straight line explains 85% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2023, Congo, Dem. Rep. had the 2nd highest value of the 25 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Congo, Dem. Rep. in the 2023 ranking

• Sudan — 1st of 25: 6.04 million
• West Bank and Gaza — 3rd of 25: 3.44 million
• Myanmar — 4th of 25: 1.3 million
• Ethiopia — 5th of 25: 794,000

What this measures

Internally displaced persons are defined according to the 1998 Guiding Principles (http://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/1998/ocha-guiding-principles-on-internal-displacement) as people or groups of people who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of armed conflict, or to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters and who have not crossed an international border. "New Displacement" refers to the number of new cases or incidents of displacement recorded over the specified year, rather than the number of people displaced. This is done because people may have been displaced more than once.

Limitations: Please note that most of the figures are estimates. The definition highlights two issues: 1) The coercive or otherwise involuntary character of movement. The definition mentions some of the most common causes of involuntary movements, such as armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters. These causes have in common that they give no choice to people but to leave their homes and deprive them of the most essential protection mechanisms, such as community networks, access to services, livelihoods. Displacement severely affects the physical, socio-economic and legal safety of people and should be systematically regarded as an indicator of potential vulnerability.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 15 values

Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) in nearby economies

• Cameroon — 164,000 (2023)
• Central African Republic — 214,000 (2023)
• Côte d'Ivoire — 15,000 (2020)
• Ethiopia — 794,000 (2023)
• Kenya — 7,700 (2023)
• Mali — 152,000 (2023)
• Nigeria — 291,000 (2023)

More public sector data for Congo, Dem. Rep.

• Military expenditure (current USD) — 1.23 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 3.32 trillion (2025)
• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 44 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 1.38% (2025)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (current LCU) — 8.54 trillion (2022)
• Net investment in nonfinancial assets (% of GDP) — 6.04% (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (current LCU) — -2.92 trillion (2022)
• Net lending (+) / net borrowing (-) (% of GDP) — -2.07% (2022)
• Grants and other revenue (current LCU) — 8.14 trillion (2022)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Congo, Dem. Rep.'s internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases)?

3.77 million in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 2009?

It is up 277.2% from 1 million in 2009 (9.95% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 4 million in 2022 and the lowest 168,000 in 2011.

How does Congo, Dem. Rep. rank?

2nd highest of 25 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with conflict and violence (number of cases) unusual for Congo, Dem. Rep.?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator VC.IDP.NWCV, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), uri: http://www.internal-displacement.org/ Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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