The delegates of the Presidency of the Republic, the members of the government, precisely the Minister of State and Minister in charge of the Budget, Pierre Kangudia, the Minister Delegate to the Prime0000r Minister ‘s office and the temporary Minister in charge of Agriculture Tshibangu Kalala, and members of the Civil society and other DRC’s partners attended this meeting.

This report was presented by DRC’s Chief Economist Franck M. Adoho, representing the country director on mission, Ahmadou Moustapha Ndiaye. This document on poverty assessment aims to better understand the changes in the DRC's poverty outcomes from 2005 to 2012. In particular, it describes the evolution of poverty and inequality and the main characteristics of poverty in the country. It also attempts to identify the key factors behind the observed changes and analyzes some policy considerations.

This report notes that despite the fact that during the period from 2005 to 2012, the DRC experienced spectacular economic growth, poverty reduction was moderate and the number of poor increased. The incidence of poverty at the national level decreased by 5.3 percentage points- The proportion of people living in poverty dropped from 69.3% in 2005 to 64% in 2012.

This World Bank assessment shows that not all regions experienced a reduction in poverty between 2005 and 2012. In 2012, households in some provinces became poorer than in 2005. In the northern provinces East (East and Nord Kivu), all poverty indicators have improved, which has reduced the incidence of poverty and the number of people living below the poverty line (724,506). However, living conditions deteriorated in the provinces of Kasai and Maniema, where the incidence, extent and severity of poverty increased between 2005 and 2012. The collapse of the mining sector and security conditions explain rampant poverty in Kasai.

With regard to the profile of the poor, the study shows that they live in large households with high dependency ratios. On average, poor Congolese households have almost twice as many children as non-poor households. The average size of the poorest households was 7, against 4 for the richest.

Where do the poor live?


The incidence of poverty is over 60% in most parts of the DRC. The highest incidence is in the central and northwestern regions. Kinshasa and other urban areas had lower average poverty rates, as the areas located along the eastern border, particularly in the far north-east.

The report notes that the distribution of the number of poor varies considerably from one region to another. The provinces of Kinshasa, Sud Kivu, Kwilu, Lomami and Nord Kivu have the largest number of poor people. Together, the provinces of Kinshasa, Sud Kivu, Kwilu and Lomami represent 33% of the poor population of the DRC (millions of people). Some provinces, such as Sankuru, Tanganyika, Mai Ndombe, Mongala and Bas Uele, have high average poverty rates, but because of the low population density, the total number of poor in each of these provinces is lower than that of the poor to other provinces.

Political considerations


The Poverty Assessment confirmed that poverty remains widespread in the DRC despite the abundance of natural resources and among the highest rates of economic growth in the world. This clearly indicates that economic growth has not been inclusive. In the extent that the country remains vulnerable to political and security shocks; The DRC itself lodges the entire poor people of Tanzania, Ethiopia and Madagascar. This situation should challenge Congolese policymakers.

(CKS/Yes)