The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has confirmed that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) will overtake Ethiopia in 2026 to become Sub-Saharan Africa’s 5th largest economy. DRC’s nominal GDP is estimated at $123 billion, narrowly ahead of Ethiopia’s $122 billion.
The Reshuffled Top 5
- South Africa — ~$405B
- Nigeria — ~$246B
- Angola — ~$140B
- Kenya — ~$132B
- Democratic Republic of Congo — $123B (new entrant at #5)
What’s Driving It
- Mining boom: renewed global demand for cobalt, copper and critical minerals — and the DRC holds the world’s largest cobalt reserves
- Currency upswing: a strengthening Congolese franc has lifted the dollar-denominated GDP print
- Investor appetite: Afreximbank and others have flagged DRC’s mineral value chain as a 2026 priority
The Caveat
Despite the macro milestone, DRC remains among the 10 poorest countries globally on a per-capita basis. Roughly 70% of its 109 million population still lives below the poverty line. Headline GDP rank does not equate to broad-based prosperity.
Why It Matters
The Africa GDP league-table is now structurally different from a decade ago — Ethiopia’s slowdown reflects the war-and-debt drag of recent years, while DRC’s rise mirrors the global pivot to critical minerals and the broader EV-and-AI commodity cycle.
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