Global Financial Integrity

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Capital Flight from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This briefing paper, analyzing illicit financial flows from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), was Global Financial Integrity’s first macroeconomic analysis of capital flight from a particular country.

The study, authored by GFI Chief Economist Dev Kar, found that the DRC lost an estimated US$15.5 billion in illicit capital flight from 1980 through 2006. According to the report, “pervasive corruption,” and trade mispricing in goods and services led to a per annum loss of nearly $600 million dollars from the DRC economy. Kar notes, “With that money, the DRC could have paid off its entire external debt, which is $11.2 billion.”

Global Financial Integrity recommends citing from the most recently released research. The most recent annual report is Illicit Financial Flows to and from 148 Developing Countries: 2006-2015.