(RÉPUBLIQUE DÉMOCRATIQUE DU CONGO)
(Formerly: ZAIRE) (WIPO code: CD) (last revised January 2023)
by CABINET P. TSHINKELA, Kinshasa
Congo Democratic Republic
General Information
Area
2,345,000 sq. km.
Population
108,407,721 inhabitants.
Capital
Kinshasa, with about 15.628 million inhabitants.
Language
French.
Currency
Congolese franc (floating).
Economy
Chief crops: coffee, cotton, rice, sugar cane, bananas, plantains, coconuts, manioc, mangoes, tea, cocoa and palm oil. Minerals: cobalt (two-thirds of world’s output), copper, cadmium, gold, diamonds, silver, tin, germanium, zinc, iron, tungsten, manganese, uranium, radium and crude oil. Other resources: forests, rubber, cattle, goats, fish and electricity. Arable land: 3%. Labor force: 75% agricultural.
General Remarks
Former Belgian Congo. Independent since June 30, 1960. Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo is the new elected President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, sworn in on January 24, 2019. This is the first peaceful transition in the country.
Congo is divided into twenty-six provinces and includes the federal district of Kinshasa.
| Statistics | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Patent applications | 41 | 45 | 83 | 81 |
| Trademark applications | 1,230 | 1,078 | 1,055 | 1,223 |
| Designs and models applications | 147 | 118 | 84 | 113 |