Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has the largest number of internally displaced people (IDPs) on the African continent. Years of violence and insecurity have driven 5.7 million people from their homes, and violence increased recently in Ituri and North Kivu Provinces, including against civilians living in displacement sites.

Globally, DRC ranks high among countries most affected by food insecurity. It has the world’s largest number of people who are food insecure. One in four Congolese – or some 26.4 million people – cannot meet their basic food needs, and some 6.4 million of those people are affected by acute malnutrition – a figure that has not decreased in two decades. 

Severe yet preventable epidemics, such as measles, yellow fever, cholera and malaria, take a significant human toll every year due to poor infrastructure, constraints to health access and  low vaccination coverage. Four women die every hour during labour or from pregnancy-related conditions, which is one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates. 

DRC hosts more than 500,000 refugees from neighbouring countries. A large majority of IDPs are also accommodated within host communities, which demonstrates strong community solidarity.