Congo, Dem. Rep.: Total reserves (% of total external debt)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Congo, Dem. Rep.'s total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 1.53 percentage points on 2022 (from 40.98% to 42.51%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above 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 24.25 percentage points in 2021 and the biggest yearly fall was 18.43 percentage points in 1974. 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 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 27% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

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

• Myanmar — 1st of 3: 76.79%
• Burundi — 3rd of 3: 8.74%

What this measures

Reserve assets are external assets, including monetary gold, that are readily available to and controlled by monetary authorities for meeting balance of payments financing needs, for intervention in exchange markets to affect the currency exchange rate, and for other related purposes (such as maintaining confidence in the currency and the economy, and serving as a basis for foreign borrowing). Reserve assets must be denominated and settled in foreign currency. This indicator is expressed as a percentage of total external debt which are all liabilities that require payment(s) of interest and/or principal by the debtor at some point(s) in the future and that are owed to non-residents by residents of an economy.

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

All 53 values

Total reserves (% of total external debt) in nearby economies

• Angola — 24.25% (2024)
• Botswana — 149.08% (2024)
• Burundi — 8.74% (2023)
• Cabo Verde — 33.19% (2024)
• Cameroon — 32.09% (2024)
• Central African Republic — 46.78% (2024)
• Chad — 46.22% (2024)
• Comoros — 84.02% (2024)
• Congo, Rep. — 11.27% (2024)
• Eritrea — 24.6% (2019)

More economic policy & debt data for Congo, Dem. Rep.

• Exports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) — US$28.48 billion (2025)
• Exports of goods and services (constant LCU) — 13.49 trillion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (constant 2015 US$) — US$30.49 billion (2025)
• Imports of goods and services (constant LCU) — 8.25 trillion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$91.03 billion (2025)
• GDP (current LCU) — 243.66 trillion (2025)
• GDP (constant 2015 US$) — US$64.04 billion (2025)
• GDP (constant LCU) — 18.51 trillion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$806.78 (2025)
• GDP per capita (current LCU)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Congo, Dem. Rep.'s total reserves (% of total external debt)?

42.51% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 5.03 percentage points from 37.47% in 1971. The highest value was 42.51% in 2023 and the lowest 0.49% in 1993.

Is the latest change in total reserves (% of total external debt) unusual for Congo, Dem. Rep.?

In 2023, Congo, Dem. Rep.'s total reserves (% of total external debt) rose 1.53 percentage points on 2022 (from 40.98% to 42.51%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was +1.32 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 6.31 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB).

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator FI.RES.TOTL.DT.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: International Debt Statistics, World Bank (WB) 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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