That calculated dollar amount results from a 105.9% acceleration from $14.2 billion 5 years earlier in 2020.
Year over year, the value of Congolese exports slowed to a 2.8% gain compared to $28.5 billion starting from 2023.
The 5 biggest exports from the Democratic Republic of the Congo are refined copper and unwrought alloys, cobalt, copper ores or concentrates, unrefined copper, then tin ores and concentrates. Combined, that quintet of leading exports represents 92.8% of the country’s total exports by value. Such a high percentage indicates an intensely concentrated portfolio of products exported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Major Trading Partners
The latest available country-specific data shows that 98.5% of products exported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was bought by importers in: mainland China (57.6% of the exporter’s total), South Africa (8.6%), Hong Kong (8.4%), Mozambique (5.7%), Singapore (4.9%), Tanzania (4.3%), United Arab Emirates (3.7%), Switzerland (2.1%), Vietnam (1.4%), Zambia (1.2%), Belgium (0.3%) and Congo (0.2%).
From a continental perspective, 76.7% of the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 20.6% was sold to importers in fellow African countries. Democratic Republic of the Congo shipped another 2.6% worth of goods to nations in Europe.
Tinier percentages went to buyers in North America (0.02%), Latin America (0.005%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, then Oceania’s Australia and New Zealand only (0.001%).
Given the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s population of 103.2 million people, its total $29.3 billion in 2024 exports translates to roughly $285 for every resident in the Central African country. That dollar metric lags the average $290 per capita one year earlier during 2023.
Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Top 10 Exports
The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Congolese global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from the Congo.
- Copper: US$20.7 billion (70.6% of total exports)
- Ores, slag, ash: $3.8 billion (13%)
- Other base metals: $3 billion (10.2%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $634.9 million (2.2%)
- Cocoa: $357.1 million (1.2%)
- Gems, precious metals: $328.2 million (1.1%)
- Inorganic chemicals: $222.2 million (0.8%)
- Wood: $126.3 million (0.4%)
- Coffee, tea, spices: $33.2 million (0.1%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $20.3 million (0.1%)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s top 10 exports accounted for 99.6% of the overall value of its global shipments.
Miscellaneous base metals was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 5,264% from 2023 to 2024.
In second place for improving export sales was food industry waste and animal fodder via a 533.1% advance.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s shipments of mineral fuels including oil posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 267.9%.
The leading decliner among the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s top 10 export categories was inorganic chemicals, recording a -95.5% year-over-year drop.
From the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, refined copper and unwrought alloys represent the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s most valuable exported product representing about two-thirds (66.5%) of the country’s total export sales by value. In second place was cobalt (10.2%) trailed by copper ores and concentrates (10.1%), unrefined copper (3.9%), tin ores and concentrates (2.1%), crude oil (also 2.1%), cocoa beans (1.2%), unmounted and unset diamonds (1.1%), cobalt oxides or hydroxides (0.8%), then zinc ores and concentrates (0.4%).
Products Generating Congo’s Largest Trade Surpluses
The Democratic Republic of the Congo posted a US$17.5 billion trade surplus in 2024, soaring 516.6% from its $2.84 billion in black ink one year earlier for 2023.
The following types of Congolese product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.
- Copper: US$20.7 billion (Up by 9% since 2023)
- Ores, slag, ash: $3.8 billion (Up by 47.5%)
- Other base metals: $3 billion (Up by 5317.6%)
- Cocoa: $344.2 million (Up by 135.6%)
- Gems, precious metals: $323.3 million (Down by -77.7%)
- Mineral fuels including oil: $293.6 million (Reversing a -$9.2 billion deficit)
- Wood: $103.4 million (Up by 192.2%)
- Coffee, tea, spices: $27.1 million (Up by 62.1%)
- Food industry waste, animal fodder: $15.6 million (Reversing a -$3.8 million deficit)
- Nickel: $7 million (Reversing a -$257,000 deficit)
The Democratic Republic of the Congo generated highly positive net exports in the international trade of copper. These cashflows indicate strong Congolese competitive advantages under the copper and related product categories.
Products Causing Congo’s Worst Trade Deficits
Below are exports from Democratic Republic of the Congo that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Congo’s goods trail Congolese importer spending on foreign products.
- Machinery including computers: -US$1.8 billion (Down by -53.8% since 2023)
- Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.11 billion (Down by -25.3%)
- Vehicles: -$1.1 billion (Down by -23.2%)
- Articles of iron or steel: -$516.15 million (Down by -66.3%)
- Plastics, plastic articles: -$438.1 million (Down by -22.2%)
- Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: -$369.6 million (Down by -83.3%)
- Pharmaceuticals: -$354.1 million (Up by 17.7%)
- Beverages, spirits, vinegar: -$353.7 million (Up by 656.7%)
- Milling products, malt, starches: -$330.6 million (Up by 68.1%)
- Iron, steel: -$315.5 million (Down by -26.7%)
Historically, the Democratic Republic of the Congo incurs highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the mineral fuels-related product category. Biggest product deficits are for refined petroleum oils, coal and petroleum coke.
Congolese Export Companies
Not one Congolese corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.
Wikipedia lists exporters from Democratic Republic of the Congo. Selected examples are shown below.
- Cohydro (hydrocarbons derived from crude oil)
- Congotex (textiles, clothing)
- Feronia Inc (beans, rice, oil seeds, palm oil)
- Sodefor (timber, other forestry products)
In macroeconomic terms, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s total exported goods represent 15.7% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($186.8 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 15.7% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 compares to 19.1% for 2023. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Democratic Republic of the country’s total economic performance, albeit based on a short timeframe.
Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. The Congolese unemployment rate averaged 17.653% for 2024, down from an average 19.894% during 2023 according to Trading Economics statistics.
Kinshasa serves as the capital city for Democratic Republic of the Congo.
See also Copper Ore Exports by Country Plus Average Prices, Kenya’s Top 10 Imports, Uganda’s Top 10 Exports and Coffee Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Africa: Democratic Republic of the Congo. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 13, 2025
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 13, 2025
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Wikipedia, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Wikipedia, List of Companies of Democratic Republic of the Congo. Accessed on October 13, 2025
Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on October 13, 2025