The document also highlights significant territorial inequality, with large gaps between provinces, indicating high spatial heterogeneity. Additionally, several indicators confirm the country's low level of human development. In 2024, the GDP per capita was approximately $1,602 in purchasing power parity (in constant 2011 prices), while the Human Development Index reached 0.522, placing the country 171st out of 193 countries according to the latest UNDP Human Development Report. These data clearly show the scale of the challenges: poverty remains high, persistent, and deeply rooted in regional specifics. All provinces of the country are affected by poverty, differing only in its severity.
According to the United Nations Development Programme, more than two-thirds of the population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo lives in poverty. The national average hides significant regional disparities.
The most severe situation is in Central Kasai (79.8%), Kivu (79.2%), and Tanganyika (78.5%), as well as in Eastern Kasai, Northern Ubangi, and Kasai, where the poverty rate ranges from 76% to 78%. These regions face challenges such as transportation isolation, weak infrastructure, low productivity, and occasional instability.
In contrast, the capital region (52.6%), Central Congo, Lualaba, and Upper Katanga (60-66%) show relatively better results, although poverty also affects more than half of the population. Other provinces, such as Equateur (69.70%), Chokpo (72.91%), South Ubangi (74.07%), and Maniema (71.48%), have higher poverty rates than the national average.
Despite GDP growth estimated at 5-6% in recent years, driven mainly by the mining sector, this growth remains largely uninclusive. The macroeconomic situation remains relatively stable, but its impact on reducing poverty is limited. Severe inequality, particularly in terms of territorial distribution, reduces this effect. In such a diverse country, a unified government policy proves ineffective. Under these conditions, the DRC risks failing to achieve the SDG goal of eradicating poverty in all its forms by 2030.
According to a study by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the country may only achieve about a quarter of this goal. An analysis by the African Development Bank, published in 2017, comes to a similar conclusion: DRC's current trajectory could slow down the progress of the entire continent. In addition to the overall level of poverty, the gaps between provinces also pose a significant challenge to the SDG principle of «leaving no one behind».
Key policy recommendations: For UNDP, eradicating poverty in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a particularly challenging task, even more so than in many other African countries. However, this does not mean that poverty is inevitable or permanent. As recent examples from countries such as Ecuador, China, India, and Ethiopia show, poverty can be combated and significantly reduced. However, in the DRC, a single policy may not yield the desired results. Resources should be allocated to those provinces where their impact at the national level is most significant.
The state is encouraged to adopt a differentiated approach based on priority criteria in order to make the best use of available resources. In this logic, four provinces — Kivulue, Haut-Uele, Tanganyika, and Kasai-Central — have been identified as priority areas due to the intensity of poverty and their high contribution to the national poverty rate. Progress in these provinces would have a direct and significant impact on reducing poverty nationwide. Kinshasa, North Kivu, Ituri, and Haut-Katanga are also included in this group, based on their weighted index. The government should remove the main obstacles to investment, productivity, and entrepreneurship in these priority provinces. Finally, technical and financial partners are encouraged to align their actions with these territorial priorities, based on thorough analysis to improve the effectiveness of their work.
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