Congo, Rep.: Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Congo, Rep.'s reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$212.17 million on 2020 (from −US$19.43 million to −US$231.6 million).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2020), the average change was −US$56.44 million and a typical year strayed about US$996.04 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 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 US$2.28 billion in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was US$2.94 billion in 2009. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 5% of the movement over 8 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.

Closest to Congo, Rep. in the 2021 ranking

• Russian Federation — 1st of 3: US$63.57 billion
• Marshall Islands — 2nd of 3: US$6.68 million

What this measures

Reserves and related items is the net change in a country's holdings of international reserves resulting from transactions on the current, capital, and financial accounts. 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.Also included are net credit and loans from the IMF (excluding reserve position) and total exceptional financing. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.

All 42 values

Reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) in nearby economies

• Angola — −US$937.09 million (2025)
• Benin — −US$1.22 billion (2023)
• Botswana — −US$305.79 million (2025)
• Burkina Faso — US$585.19 million (2024)
• Burundi — US$21.67 million (2025)
• Cabo Verde — US$369.03 million (2025)
• Cameroon — US$482.23 million (2024)
• Comoros — −US$7.66 million (2023)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — US$839.97 million (2025)
• Côte d'Ivoire

More economic policy & debt data for Congo, Rep.

• General government final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$2.43 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 1.41 trillion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$) — US$927.34 million (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (constant LCU) — 337.74 billion (2025)
• General government final consumption expenditure (% of GDP) — 14.88% (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current US$) — US$8.36 billion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (current LCU) — 4.86 trillion (2025)
• Households and NPISHs final consumption expenditure (constant 2015 US$)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Congo, Rep.'s reserves and related items (current US$, BoP)?

−US$231.6 million in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1978?

It is down 1,601% from −US$13.61 million in 1978. The highest value was US$2.76 billion in 2008 and the lowest −US$2.23 billion in 2015.

Is the latest change in reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) unusual for Congo, Rep.?

In 2021, Congo, Rep.'s reserves and related items (current US$, BoP) fell US$212.17 million on 2020 (from −US$19.43 million to −US$231.6 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2020), the average change was −US$56.44 million and a typical year strayed about US$996.04 million from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.2 standard deviations below 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?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator BN.RES.INCL.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Balance of Payments Statistics Yearbook and data files, International Monetary Fund (IMF) 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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