Poorest Country in the World: Running the Numbers

Congo's famous for a lot of things. Perhaps you've heard some of our superlatives:

• Home of the worst war since World War II. 
• Most dangerous place on earth to be a woman.
• The IMF, World Bank and CIA all call us the poorest country in the world.
• Congo is one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
• Oh and of course, rape capital of the world.
• And if it was possible to measure the unemployment rate, we'd probably top that list too.

It's hard to understand what any of this really means. Recently I was talking with a friend -okay, I was being super nosy- and here's a glimpse of what life is really like for a typical Kinois (person from Kinshasa).

It's probably not fair to say that "Jean" is typical. He is a skilled worker at a good organization. His job is secure. This is very rare and he is very lucky. Still his monthly pay is about $360. (The average annual income for a Congolese is $210. I repeat, annual income.) When I asked what his wife does he said, "Oh nothing." Really? Come on. What does she do every day? "Well she sells things at the market."

Jean's wife, Bibi, buys a 50 kilo sack of green beans from a distributor for around 60,000 francs. This is around $65. She divides this into 1 kilo portions to sell in the market. If she's lucky, she profits $8 to $10 after she's sold the whole sack. This takes about 2 weeks. That's right, $8 to $10 after 2 weeks of work.

Jean and Bibi have 6 children. Three girls and three boys. Their house has 2 bedrooms and a small living room. Here's what the rest of their expenses add up to look like over a month. *These, of course, are all estimates:

Rice: $25
Fufu: $20
Beans: $20
Pondu and other greens: $15
Tomatoes, rice, peppers, onions, cooking oil: $20
Bread, tea, sugar, butter, milk: $100
Charcoal for cooking: $20
Electricity (usually not on): $5
Water (at shared outdoor faucet): $12
Phone credit: $5
Rent: $70
Transportation to and from work: $50

Monthly Total: $362 vs. Monthly Pay: $360

Here's when that extra few dollars Jean's wife can make at the market becomes essential for his family. With a budget like this, an illness can be catastrophic and there's no possibility for savings.

  by  Rachel Strohm 

Still there are many families where no one is employed. I have no idea how they do it. Or anyone, for that matter.

It doesn't take long in Congo to understand our list of superlatives.

Bonus: Here's a peek inside some Congolese homes.

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