Central African oil-output decline.
prob 0.34
severity 2.6 / 5 · revision 2026-05-05monitoring · 7 Central African economies · oil revenue$ shortage country get COD > stress_index: 0.74 CRITICAL > 1 events · 1 scenarios > refreshed 2026-05-17
BRENT $91.37/b ▼ TTF €63.92/MWh ▲ OPEC_ORB $108.8/b ● SPR_US 298.7 Mb ▼ FAO_FFPI 130.3 ▼
The v3.2 stress index is a six-axis composite of energy and food exposure, geopolitical pressure, fiscal headroom, demography and supply concentration, normalised to a 0–1 scale.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo holds the world's largest cobalt reserves and is a major copper producer, central to global battery supply chains, yet it imports most of its fuel and electrifies only a small share of its vast population. Conflict in its mineral-rich east drives one of the world's gravest humanitarian crises.
The DR Congo holds vast freshwater resources in the Congo basin and the Great Lakes on its eastern border.
| STOCK TYPE | RESERVE | DAYS COVER | STATUS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oil · imported fuel stocksMost fuel is imported across a vast, poorly connected territory. | low | 15days | WATCH |
| Electricity · Congo River hydropowerThe Inga site holds huge hydropower potential, but the grid reaches few people. | vast untapped | — | CRITICAL |
| Cobalt and copper · vast reservesThe DRC holds the world's largest cobalt reserves, central to battery supply chains. | world-leading | — | STABLE |
| Grain · commercial and aid stocksConflict in the east leaves millions facing acute food insecurity. | low | 35days | CRITICAL |
$ curl -s https://api.shortage.life/v1/countries/COD | jq '.stress' > 0.74