Democratic Republic of the Congo
Incorporating the IRIS and IRRS into the 2025 Survey on Household Living Conditions
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is facing a deep humanitarian crisis, rooted in decades of armed conflict, political instability, and structural fragility. Persistent insecurity has severely deteriorated health and socio‑economic conditions, causing massive population forced movements as people face hunger, disease, lack of housing, and extremely limited access to basic social services. Displacement has become a structural feature of the national context, with millions of internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly in the eastern provinces, and a substantial refugee population primarily originating from neighbouring Central African Republic (CAR), Rwanda, South Sudan, and Burundi.
Significant data gaps on the living conditions of forcibly displaced groups have been identified, with partners highlighting the importance of their integration into national development planning and official statistics. In early 2025, the offensive from the group March 23 Movement (M23) in the cities of Goma and Bukavu displaced an additional three million people. This situation brought the total number of IDPs to 5.1 million by December last year, according to figures reported by the UN. The growing scale of displacement has only heightened the urgency in filling the data gaps.
Including displacement in the HLCS/ECVM
The Household Living Conditions Survey (French acronym, ECVM), launched in 2024, aims to fill critical data gaps in the DRC by updating national indicators on poverty, living conditions, labour markets, access to services, and consumption patterns. As the first survey of this scale since 2012, it provides essential information for evaluating development programmes and macroeconomic policies and for understanding the wellbeing of households across the country.
The ECVM was funded by the World Bank in partnership with UNDP, and the additional module on IDPs and refugees was added following discussions with UNHCR to seize the opportunity to integrate these categories. Although only a small sample of refugee households was originally planned, ultimately the sample of displaced households was expanded to 1,512 households (out of the 24,552 total). This enlargement was financed by the JDC, with a booster sample directly, complementing the financial support for the wider survey.
The additional sample included just over 1,000 refugee households, distributed proportionally between those living inside camps (290) and outside camps (710), and just over 500 IDP households living in camps or sites. The sampling design followed a random, stratified, two-stage approach, with Enumeration Areas serving as primary sampling units and households as secondary units, ensuring representativeness of displaced populations in selected provinces.
(of 24,552 total)
1,511 of 1,512 surveyed
covered by the survey
The ECVM has become a central reference tool for monitoring poverty and living conditions in the DRC. Its methodology incorporates recent advances recommended by the World Bank, placing emphasis on consumption rather than expenditure, using detailed information on quantities consumed over a seven-day period. To support this approach, the survey included a market component to establish conversion factors for non-standard units, as well as household and community questionnaires.
The results, representative for IDPs in sites and refugees in sites separately, highlight several key vulnerabilities among displaced populations. IDPs show particularly high levels of vulnerability, with 92.5% reporting having experienced at least one shock in the recent period. Significant disparities also emerge in education outcomes, as IDPs display net school enrolment rates well below those of refugees. Economic integration remains insecure for both refugees and IDPs, who are heavily concentrated in the informal private sector. Their exposure to health, economic, and security shocks is also heightened, especially in the eastern provinces of the country, where instability persists.
Use of the International Recommendations
Overall, inclusion of displacement in this key national survey presents a concrete example of implementation of the International Recommendations through statistical inclusion in a heavily displacement-affected country. More specifically, the survey instruments included dedicated variables aligned with IRRS and IRIS concepts to capture displacement status, reasons for displacement, mobility history, and places of previous residence. Examples of questions included:
“What was the main reason for leaving?”;“Which province did [NAME] move to first?”; “Where was [NAME] living before fleeing?”. Beyond questionnaire content, the Recommendations served as a reference framework for inter‑institutional coordination and advocacy, notably between INS and UNHCR. While full alignment remains a gradual process, the ECVM marked an initial step towards harmonising national practices with international standards, strengthening institutional awareness of IRRS and IRIS among national authorities.
Conclusion
The integration of forced displacement into the ECVM marks a significant achievement for the DRC’s national statistical system. Despite operational and coordination challenges, particularly during the early stages of partner mobilisation and in areas affected by conflict, the survey succeeded in gathering high-quality information on more than 7,500 displaced individuals. The findings reveal serious vulnerabilities among IDPs and refugees, including heightened exposure to shocks, limited access to basic services, and insecure economic conditions.
The experience has demonstrated the importance of early engagement with technical partners and the benefits of aligning national surveys with international recommendations. It also highlighted the necessity of raising awareness of IRIS and IRRS frameworks among national authorities, many of whom are still unfamiliar with these standards. With the dissemination of the ECVM now underway — expected to inform UNHCR’s ongoing programming with socio-economic data — and the next national census approaching, the DRC has an opportunity to consolidate progress, institutionalise displacement statistics within its national system and strengthen the evidence base for more inclusive and effective policies.
COVER PHOTO: Families fleeing rising tensions and violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) shelter at a local school in the Rugombo area of Cibitoke province in northwestern Burundi, in February 2025, awaiting reception and registration procedures.
© UNHCR/Bernard Ntwari