Einar H. Dyvik
Research expert covering Nordics and global data for society, economy, and politics
Democratic Republic of the Congo - Statistics & Facts
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or the DRC (formerly Zaire), is Sub Saharan Africa’s largest country by area, and its third largest by population. Most of the country is situated on the Congo River basin and is covered by the Congo rainforest, and its geology is abundant in valuable natural resources. However, these resources have not generated widespread prosperity for its people, and have instead resulted in persistent conflict, political instability, and foreign interference. As the DRC produces around three quarters of the world’s cobalt, an essential element in the production of rechargeable batteries, western lifestyles and the green transition have now become dependent on its exports. Yet, this has come at a heavy cost for the Congolese people, where fighting over control of these resources, as well as the mining industry’s environmental impact, have created one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world.
