You are here

Home » Countries & Regions » Africa

Democratic Republic of Congo

AGOA Status: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DROC) is not eligible for AGOA this year.

Trade Agreements: The U.S. and DROC have a Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT). It was signed in 1984 and entered into force in 1989. DROC is also a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), with which the U.S. has a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA), signed in 2001.

Special Initiatives: Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank") instructs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in consultation with the Department of State, to promulgate regulations requiring, in part, certain companies to submit annually a description of the measures taken to exercise due diligence on the source and chain of custody of "conflict minerals." Learn more about this regulation here.

U.S. – Democratic Republic of Congo Trade Facts

Congo (Kinshasa) is currently our 162nd largest goods trading partner with $129 million in total (two way) goods trade during 2018. Goods exports totaled $79 million; goods imports totaled $50 million. The U.S. goods trade surplus with Congo (Kinshasa) was $29 million in 2018.

According to the Department of Commerce, U.S. exports of goods to Congo (Kinshasa) supported an estimated 7 hundred jobs in 2015 (latest data available).

Exports

  • Congo (Kinshasa) was the United States' 160th largest goods export market in 2018.
     
  • U.S. goods exports to Congo (Kinshasa) in 2018 were $79 million, up 3.4% ($3 million) from 2017 but down 39.5% from 2008. 
     
  • The top export categories (2-digit HS) in 2018 were: machinery ($18 million), meat (poultry) ($9 million), miscellaneous textile articles ($9 million), electrical machinery ($8 million), and plastics ($6 million).
     
  • U.S. total exports of agricultural products to Congo (Kinshasa) totaled $14 million in 2018. Leading domestic export categories include: poultry meat & prods. (ex. eggs) ($9 million), dairy products ($435 thousand), prepared food ($297 thousand), pork & pork products ($161 thousand), and pulses ($87 thousand).

Imports

  • Congo (Kinshasa) was the United States' 147th largest supplier of goods imports in 2018.
     
  • U.S. goods imports from Congo (Kinshasa) totaled $50 million in 2018, down 42.2% ($36 million) from 2017, and down 81.4% from 2008. 
     
  • The top import categories (2-digit HS) in 2018 were: copper ($20 million), precious metal and stone (diamonds) ($8 million), ores, slag, and ash (tungsten) ($6 million), art and antiques ($5 million), and coffee, tea & spice (coffee) ($4 million).
     
  • U.S. total imports of agricultural products from Congo (Kinshasa) totaled $9 million in 2018. The leading category is: coffee, unroasted ($4 million).

Trade Balance

  • The U.S. trade balance with Congo (Kinshasa) shifted from a goods trade deficit of $10 million in 2017 to a goods trade surplus of $29 million in 2018.

Investment

  • U.S. foreign direct investment (FDI) in Congo (Kinshasa) (stock) was $76 million in 2017, a 1.3% increase from 2016. There is no information on the distribution of U.S. FDI in Congo (Kinshasa).
     
  • No data on Congo (Kinshasa)'s FDI in the U.S. are available. There is no information on the distribution of Congo (Kinshasa) FDI in the U.S.

 

NOTE: No services trade data with Congo (Kinshasa) are available.