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

Democratic Republic of Congo is currently our 109th largest goods trading partner with $772 million in total (exports plus imports) goods trade during 2011.

Exports

Democratic Republic of Congo was the United States' 136th largest goods export market in 2011.

U.S. goods exports to Democratic Republic of Congo in 2011 were $166 million, up 78.3% from 2010.

The top export categories (2-digit HS) for 2011 were: Pharmaceutical Products ($37 million), Meat (poultry) ($32 million), Machinery ($28 million), Electrical Machinery ($13 million), and Cereals (wheat) ($10 million).

Imports

Democratic Republic of Congo was the United States' 89th largest supplier of goods imports in 2011.

U.S. goods imports from Democratic Republic of Congo totaled $606 million in 2011, a 14.8% increase from 2010.

The top import category (2-digit HS) for 2011 was: Mineral Fuel (oil) ($581 million), accounting for 96% of all U.S. imports.

Trade Balance

The U.S. goods trade deficit with Democratic Republic of Congo was $439 million in 2011, 1.1% more than in 2010.