Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Democratic Republic of the: Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) was 4.4% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the stood at 4.4%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 0.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the peaked at 5.4% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.9%, in 2005.
That places Congo, Democratic Republic of the 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.3% | — |
| 1992 | 3.4% | +3.1% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 3.4% | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 3.3% | -3.5% |
| 1996 | 3.2% | -3.9% |
| 1997 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 3.2% | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 3.2% | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 3.2% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 3.3% | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 3.2% | -2.2% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -3.8% |
| 2004 | 3.0% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 2.9% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 3.2% | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 3.4% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 3.6% | +6.6% |
| 2009 | 3.9% | +7.0% |
| 2010 | 4.1% | +5.6% |
| 2011 | 4.3% | +5.3% |
| 2012 | 4.5% | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 4.5% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 4.4% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 4.4% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 4.5% | +2.0% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 5.4% | +16.3% |
| 2021 | 5.3% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 4.5% | -14.2% |
| 2023 | 4.5% | -1.6% |
| 2024 | 4.4% | -1.1% |
| 2025 | 4.4% | +0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 2.9% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.5% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.8% | 4.4% | 5.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo, Democratic Republic of the
More education data for Congo, Democratic Republic of the
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 1.99 million (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 410,532 (2023)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 427,300 (2023)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 7.93 million (2023)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 21.15 million (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate 7.35 % change on previous year (2021)
- Primary education, pupils, per unit of GDP 0.0003 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Primary education, pupils, per capita 0.1999 units per person (2023)
- Secondary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) in Congo, Democratic Republic of the was 4.4% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The highest recorded value was 5.4% in 2020.
- What is the lowest unemployment, total (% of total labor force) recorded in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.9% in 2005.
- How does Congo, Democratic Republic of the rank for unemployment, total (% of total labor force)?
- Congo, Democratic Republic of the ranks 115th out of 187 countries with data for 2025.
- Is unemployment, total (% of total labor force) rising or falling in Congo, Democratic Republic of the?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Congo, Democratic Republic of the data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Unemployment refers to the share of the labor force that is without work but available for and seeking employment.