Socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on households in the Democratic Republic of Congo
5 iterations of the survey between August and December 2020
KEY FINDINGS
The economic crisis in the DRC caused by Covid-19 is set to continue even as the number of cases fall. This means the economic outlook for many households remains challenging.
Following an initial recovery between August and September, the proportion of households reporting a fall in income since prior to the pandemic remains high (57%).
Household expenses are continuing to rise, 57% of households reported an increase in costs in September compared to 50% in August.
of households feel the pandemic will have a long-term negative impact on their finances, a level 10 percentage points higher than seen in September.
People have to make hard choices about what they buy, 90% of households have seen their consumption of basic items decrease since prior to the pandemic.
of low-income households have seen their consumption of food and water decrease since prior to the pandemic.
of households are still reporting lower levels of education spending then before the pandemic.
of households don’t know if they can make their next debt payment or already feel they will struggle and are not getting help.
More attention is now needed on the socio-economic impacts of this crisis.
About the study
The domestic restrictions imposed by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic downturn have created a challenging environment for households in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Households therefore need government support to minimise the negative effects of this crisis. The objective of this study is to provide analysis developed through direct household input during the data collection phase to support evidence-based decision-making processes regarding the effects of government decisions taken so far and the additional measures that could be taken to address household needs.
The study is the result of a partnership between Élan RDC and Kinshasa Digital. The initial August 2020 survey on the impact of COVID-19 on households was well received. This new study includes slight modifications compared to the August 2020 survey. Three more iterations are planned (October, November, December). They will include information on households across the country on a monthly basis in order to understand the nature of the challenges they face and how they are changing.
Results from each iteration of the survey are available to download.
Survey results
All 3 iterations combined.
1.015 people were contacted for iteration n°1 of the household survey, which carried out between 31 of July and 13 of August 2020.
2.200 people were contacted for iteration n°2 of the household survey, which carried out between 14 of August and 11 of September 2020.
2.200 people were contacted for iteration n°3 of the household survey, which carried out between September 22 to October 13 2020