External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure) was 37.0% in 2023. ▲ Rising
External health expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo, 2000–2023
Source: Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of current health expenditure.
Analysis
In 2023, external health expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 37.0%.
The figure is down 4.2% on the previous year and down 7.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, external health expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 45.0% in 2011 and was at its lowest, 13.3%, in 2001.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 18th out of 177 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of current health expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 23.3% | — |
| 2001 | 13.3% | -43.1% |
| 2002 | 14.1% | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 18.6% | +31.4% |
| 2004 | 17.0% | -8.6% |
| 2005 | 18.7% | +9.9% |
| 2006 | 19.6% | +5.2% |
| 2007 | 23.6% | +20.0% |
| 2008 | 38.2% | +62.1% |
| 2009 | 41.1% | +7.6% |
| 2010 | 44.8% | +8.9% |
| 2011 | 45.0% | +0.6% |
| 2012 | 37.6% | -16.4% |
| 2013 | 40.1% | +6.7% |
| 2014 | 40.2% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 39.3% | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 43.2% | +10.1% |
| 2017 | 42.5% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 35.2% | -17.1% |
| 2019 | 38.8% | +10.2% |
| 2020 | 37.5% | -3.5% |
| 2021 | 37.5% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 38.6% | +3.0% |
| 2023 | 37.0% | -4.2% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 37.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 27.7%, 1.3× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 37.0% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 20.5%, 1.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure) in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | +62.1% | 23.6% | 38.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 22.7% | 13.3% | 41.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 40.7% | 35.2% | 45.0% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.7% | 37.0% | 38.6% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 133,650 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0905 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is external health expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- External health expenditure in Democratic Republic of Congo was 37.0% in 2023, according to Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest external health expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 45.0% in 2011.
- What is the lowest external health expenditure recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.3% in 2001.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for external health expenditure?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 18th out of 177 countries with data for 2023.
- Is external health expenditure rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Expenditure Database, updated December 12th, 2025, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of External health expenditure (% of current health expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Share of current health expenditures funded from external sources. External sources compose of direct foreign transfers and foreign transfers distributed by government encompassing all financial inflows into the national health system from outside the country. External sources either flow through the government scheme or are channeled through non-governmental organizations or other schemes.