Photo: Christina Bergey derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 03 of 18 · Country Index 2026
DR Congo: Work & Labour
Can people find work, and on what terms?
DR Congo is placed 137th of 182 countries on work & labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Employment-to-Population Ratio 61.45 (2025); Labour Income Share 37.74 (2025).
Work & Labour
137th
of 182 countries placed
Placed from 4 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place DR Congo on work & labour — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Employment-to-Population Ratio
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much of the working-age population is actually in work — the half of the picture unemployment hides, because people who stop looking stop being counted.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
61.45
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)
Higher is better
DR Congo: 61.45. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 21.21 (São Tomé and Príncipe) to 86.9 (Qatar); the world median is 57.72.
- World median
- 57.72
- Best in Middle Africa
- 68.8 Central African Republic
- Land neighbours
- Angola 64.24 · Burundi 77.53 · Central African Republic 68.8 · Republic of the Congo 54.34 · Rwanda 56.45 · Tanzania 82.4 · Uganda 77.83 · Zambia 58.27
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Unemployment Rate
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: The share of people looking for work who cannot find it.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
4.434
Unemployment (% of labour force)
Lower is better
DR Congo: 4.434. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.13 (Qatar) to 34.2 (Eswatini); the world median is 5.084.
- World median
- 5.084
- Best in Middle Africa
- 1.057 Chad
- Land neighbours
- Angola 14.11 · Burundi 0.922 · Central African Republic 6.251 · Republic of the Congo 19.88 · Rwanda 11.36 · Tanzania 1.572 · Uganda 2.746 · Zambia 5.918
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Vulnerable Employment
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Why it is a key: How much work is own-account or unpaid family labour, carrying no contract and no protection.
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 4.0
81.51
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment)
Lower is better
DR Congo: 81.51. Across the 182 countries in this edition, values run from 0.456 (Qatar) to 90.22 (Chad); the world median is 28.67.
- World median
- 28.67
- Best in Middle Africa
- 23.08 Equatorial Guinea
- Land neighbours
- Angola 66.27 · Burundi 83.66 · Central African Republic 79.42 · Republic of the Congo 75.89 · Rwanda 39.36 · Tanzania 83.65 · Uganda 74.39 · Zambia 70.17
Each grey tick is one of 182 countries in the 2025 edition.
02Over time
Which way DR Congo is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Employment-to-Population Ratio
Employed share of the population aged 15+ (%) · higher is better
DR CongoWorld median
DR Congo fell from 70.17 in 2000 to 61.45 in 2025; the world median went from 55.86 to 57.72.
Every year’s figures
Year DR Congo World median 2025 61.45 57.720 2024 61.56 57.694 2023 61.52 58.158 2022 61.44 57.688 2021 60.26 56.066 2020 60.04 55.691 2019 61.34 57.871 2018 61.53 56.911 2017 61.77 56.738 2016 62.08 56.845 2015 62.39 56.788 2014 62.63 56.774 2013 62.84 56.229 2012 63.06 56.289 2011 64.12 56.297 2010 65.19 56.212 2009 66.26 56.255 2008 67.33 57.308 2007 68.38 56.933 2006 69.42 56.685 2005 70.44 56.129 2004 70.42 55.465 2003 70.35 55.630 2002 70.24 55.843 2001 70.18 56.018 2000 70.17 55.861 Labour Income Share
Labour income share of GDP (%) · higher is better
DR CongoWorld median
DR Congo rose from 35.75 in 2004 to 37.74 in 2025; the world median went from 46.01 to 46.23.
Every year’s figures
Year DR Congo World median 2025 37.74 46.230 2024 37.44 46.060 2023 36.89 45.900 2022 36.71 45.615 2021 37.39 45.433 2020 37.11 47.267 2019 38.19 46.277 2018 37.81 46.187 2017 38.27 46.467 2016 38.55 46.798 2015 36.99 46.876 2014 35.92 47.281 2013 35.71 46.887 2012 35.60 46.231 2011 35.65 45.679 2010 35.59 46.024 2009 36.62 47.071 2008 35.81 45.312 2007 35.82 45.246 2006 36.07 45.670 2005 35.88 46.265 2004 35.75 46.012 Unemployment Rate
Unemployment (% of labour force) · lower is better
DR CongoWorld median
DR Congo rose from 3.245 in 2000 to 4.434 in 2025; the world median went from 6.918 to 5.084.
Every year’s figures
Year DR Congo World median 2025 4.434 5.08 2024 4.421 5.15 2023 4.469 5.21 2022 4.540 5.34 2021 5.289 6.04 2020 5.355 6.38 2019 4.605 5.36 2018 4.632 5.35 2017 4.613 5.59 2016 4.528 5.90 2015 4.441 6.41 2014 4.436 6.58 2013 4.469 6.71 2012 4.485 6.79 2011 4.317 6.90 2010 4.098 7.04 2009 3.882 6.67 2008 3.627 5.79 2007 3.404 6.00 2006 3.174 6.50 2005 2.948 7.09 2004 2.976 6.80 2003 3.057 6.95 2002 3.179 6.91 2001 3.251 6.96 2000 3.245 6.92 Vulnerable Employment
Vulnerable employment (% of total employment) · lower is better
DR CongoWorld median
DR Congo fell from 82.05 in 2000 to 81.51 in 2025; the world median went from 35.67 to 28.67.
Every year’s figures
Year DR Congo World median 2025 81.5143 28.67 2024 81.7794 29.04 2023 82.0687 29.33 2022 82.3221 29.67 2021 82.5935 30.01 2020 83.0786 30.54 2019 81.9502 29.98 2018 81.6592 30.15 2017 81.4444 29.93 2016 81.2064 29.91 2015 80.9943 30.26 2014 80.8664 30.47 2013 80.7675 31.14 2012 80.6401 31.00 2011 80.7670 31.41 2010 80.9426 32.37 2009 81.1513 32.59 2008 81.3170 31.76 2007 81.6006 33.47 2006 81.8417 34.27 2005 82.0274 34.66 2004 82.1971 35.51 2003 82.3252 35.90 2002 82.2814 35.96 2001 82.1967 35.27 2000 82.0534 35.67
03In context
DR Congo beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 182 countries on work & labour, never a place within the region.
DR Congo and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 182 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Employment-to-Population RatioEmployed share of the population aged 15+ (%) | Labour Income ShareLabour income share of GDP (%) | Unemployment RateUnemployment (% of labour force) | Vulnerable EmploymentVulnerable employment (% of total employment) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tanzania | =29th | 82.4 | 54.19 | 1.572 | 83.65 |
 Burundi | 71st | 77.53 | 38.41 | 0.922 | 83.66 |
 Uganda | =83rd | 77.83 | 37.57 | 2.746 | 74.39 |
| DR Congo | 137th | 61.45 | 37.74 | 4.434 | 81.51 |
 Angola | 142nd | 64.24 | 43.97 | 14.11 | 66.27 |
 Central African Republic | 149th | 68.8 | 31.27 | 6.251 | 79.42 |
 Rwanda | =158th | 56.45 | 39.77 | 11.36 | 39.36 |
 Zambia | 163rd | 58.27 | 25.93 | 5.918 | 70.17 |
 Republic of the Congo | 170th | 54.34 | 44.06 | 19.88 | 75.89 |
 South Sudan | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Middle Africa
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 182.
Placed either side on work & labour
The countries immediately above and below DR Congo in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where DR Congo is ahead of the world, and behind
13 more statistics filed under work & labour, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median4
Statistics on which DR Congo does better than the middle country measured.
Female Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 53.3661.8553.36▼ Worsened since 2015
DR Congo: 61.85 · world median 53.36 · Women aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 4.663 to 82.91; higher is better.
Position 39th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Youth Unemployment RateILO · 2025 · world median 12.837.84812.83No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 7.848 · world median 12.83 · Unemployment, ages 15-24 (% of youth labour force). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.457 to 76.77; lower is better.
Position 135th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Firms with a Female Top ManagerWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 19.1622.7419.16No earlier reading
DR Congo: 22.74 · world median 19.16 · Firms with a female top manager (%). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.429 to 62.9; higher is better.
Position 58th of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Labour Force Participation RateILO · 2025 · world median 61.6664.3161.66▼ Worsened since 2015
DR Congo: 64.31 · world median 61.66 · Population aged 15+ in the labour force (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.34 to 87.01; higher is better.
Position 72nd of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median4
Statistics on which DR Congo does worse than the middle country measured.
Trade Union DensityILO · 2020 · world median 16.6813.5616.68No earlier reading
DR Congo: 13.56 · world median 16.68 · Employees who are trade union members (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2020 edition, data for 2020.
Published values in that edition run from 0.2 to 91.42; higher is better.
Position 80th of 139 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
GDP per Person EmployedWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median 47,3844,93947,384No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 4,939 · world median 47,384 · GDP per person employed (constant 2021 international $). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2,456 to 262,554; higher is better.
Position 160th of 168 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Labour Productivity per Hour WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 22.162.3722.16No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 2.37 · world median 22.16 · Output per hour worked (constant 2021 international $ at PPP). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.92 to 164.65; higher is better.
Position 175th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Working Poverty RateILO · 2025 · world median 4.88580.254.885No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 80.25 · world median 4.885 · Employed people living in extreme poverty (%). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.007 to 86.02; lower is better.
No better end5
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Self-Employment RateILO · 2025 · world median 31.8485.0831.84Moved since 2015
DR Congo: 85.08 · world median 31.84 · Self-employed (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.832 to 91.56.
Position 9th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3858.5214.38No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 58.52 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.
Position 14th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Average Weekly Hours WorkedILO · 2025 · world median 38.8935.9238.89Moved since 2015
DR Congo: 35.92 · world median 38.89 · Average weekly hours actually worked per employed person. International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 23.64 to 54.7.
Position 125th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in ServicesILO · 2025 · world median 59.5133.4559.51No real change since 2015
DR Congo: 33.45 · world median 59.51 · Employment in services (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 11.56 to 92.17.
Position 164th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Employment in IndustryILO · 2025 · world median 18.888.02218.88Moved since 2015
DR Congo: 8.022 · world median 18.88 · Employment in industry (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 3.103 to 39.44.
Position 170th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for DR Congo
Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management (last 2020), Informal Employment Rate, Public Sector Employment and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training (last 2020). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Work & Labour among DR Congo’s 16 topics
Work & Labour is DR Congo’s 4th best-placed topic of 16. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Environment & Sustainability1st of 1813/3 keys
- Energy63rd of 1933/3 keys
- Gender & Equality131st of 1834/4 keys
- Work & Labour137th of 1824/4 keys
- Peace & Security144th of 1774/4 keys
- Digital & Technology163rd of 1983/3 keys
- Democracy & Civil Libertiesjoint 167th of 1983/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade130th of 1472/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge154th of 1712/4 keys
- Food & Agriculture164th of 1754/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions182nd of 1944/4 keys
- Development & Human Capital187th of 1963/3 keys
- Risk & Resilience184th of 1923/3 keys
- Economy & Innovation172nd of 1764/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality156th of 1592/2 keys
- Health & Wellbeingjoint 197th of 2004/4 keys
06The top of the list
Who leads on work & labour
The three countries placed highest of 182, and the leaders DR Congo can most readily be measured against.
1
IcelandNorthern Europe
1st of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Hansueli Krapf · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
JapanEastern Asia
2nd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: JurriaanH · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
South KoreaEastern Asia
3rd of 182 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 2.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Africa
Nigeria16th4/4 keysHighest in Middle Africa
Cameroon97th4/4 keysThis page
DR Congo137th4/4 keys
Positions out of 182 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about DR Congo and work & labour
On work & labour
Countries in Asia with the highest average salaries 2024
Thirteen Asian countries by gross average monthly wage, each carrying its WORLD rank rather than an Asian one — so the numbers skip, from 11th place to 45th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Highest Average Salaries in 2024
The ten highest-paying countries of 2024, their bars coloured by continent, and six more added for comparison — from Australia in 13th place to India in 85th.
On work & labour
Countries With The Lowest Average Salaries in 2024
The bottom ten of 196 countries, and six more added for comparison. Niger, Madagascar and Liberia are all published at US$47 a month and still carry three different ranks.
08Questions
DR Congo on work & labour: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does DR Congo rank on work & labour?
DR Congo is placed 137th of 182 countries on Work & Labour in the Country Index 2026, from 4 of its 4 key statistics (Employment-to-Population Ratio, Labour Income Share, Unemployment Rate and Vulnerable Employment). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Employment-to-Population Ratio figure for DR Congo?
61.45 in 2025 (employed share of the population aged 15+ (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 57.72.
What is the latest Labour Income Share figure for DR Congo?
37.74 in 2025 (labour income share of GDP (%)), according to International Labour Organization (ILO). The world median in the same edition was 46.23.
How does DR Congo compare with Tanzania on work & labour?
Tanzania is placed joint 29th of 182, and DR Congo 137th. Employment-to-Population Ratio: Tanzania 82.4, DR Congo 61.45; Labour Income Share: Tanzania 54.19, DR Congo 37.74; Unemployment Rate: Tanzania 1.572, DR Congo 4.434; Vulnerable Employment: Tanzania 83.65, DR Congo 81.51.
How have DR Congo’s work & labour figures changed?
Employment-to-Population Ratio fell from 70.17 in 2000 to 61.45 in 2025; Labour Income Share rose from 35.75 in 2004 to 37.74 in 2025; Unemployment Rate rose from 3.245 in 2000 to 4.434 in 2025; Vulnerable Employment fell from 82.05 in 2000 to 81.51 in 2025.
Which work & labour statistics are missing for DR Congo?
No current reading is published for DR Congo on Fatal Occupational Injuries, Female Share of Senior and Middle Management, Informal Employment Rate, Public Sector Employment and Youth Not in Education, Employment or Training. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Keep reading
Explore further
DR Congo, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions182nd of 194
- Economy & Innovation172nd of 176
- Education & Knowledge154th of 171
- Health & Wellbeing=197th of 200
- Development & Human Capital187th of 196
- Environment & Sustainability1st of 181
- Gender & Equality131st of 183
- Democracy & Civil Liberties=167th of 198
- Peace & Security144th of 177
- Risk & Resilience184th of 192
- Mobility & Trade130th of 147
- Food & Agriculture164th of 175
- Poverty & Inequality156th of 159
- Energy63rd of 193
- Digital & Technology163rd of 198
- The full DR Congo profile
Nearby, on work & labour
PakistanPlaced just above136th
Equatorial GuineaPlaced just below138th- AngolaShares a border142nd
- BurundiShares a border71st
- Central African RepublicShares a border149th
- Republic of the CongoShares a border170th
- RwandaShares a border=158th
- South SudanShares a bordernot placed
- TanzaniaShares a border=29th
- UgandaShares a border=83rd
- ZambiaShares a border163rd
- Every country on work & labour
The key statistics, for every country
10Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Wages in money terms are not a key here, because pay figures are hard to compare fairly across countries with very different prices. Labour productivity, working hours, youth unemployment and the balance between farming, industry and services are published on this page as context. The size and growth of the wider economy belong to Economy & Innovation.
How the Work & Labour standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 18 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. All of them describe 2025.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 182 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Employment-to-Population Ratio — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Labour Income Share — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Unemployment Rate — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
- Vulnerable Employment — International Labour Organization (ILO), CC BY 4.0
The other 13 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
DR Congo’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- DR Congo (banner) — Christina Bergey derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Iceland — Hansueli Krapf, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Japan — JurriaanH, CC BY-SA 3.0
- South Korea — Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). DR Congo: Work & Labour — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/dr-congo/work