Tap water in Democratic Republic Of the Congo

Not safe to drink

This reflects the CDC's travel health guidance for Democratic Republic Of the Congo; no WHO coverage figure is published for this country. National figures describe a country, not the tap in front of you.

What the sources say

US CDC Travelers' Health

Advises travellers that tap water is generally not safe to drink in Democratic Republic Of the Congo.

Numbeo

0.0/100 on the water drinkability and accessibility index, which Numbeo reads as “Very low”. This one is crowdsourced from residents rather than measured.

Lonely Planet

It is not safe to drink tap water in DRC. Always drink bottled water (and check the seal on the cap is not broken) or the boiled water that some hotels will leave in your room.

This is a national picture, and it varies. Some cities treat their water to a standard the country as a whole does not reach. Where the water is not safe, boiling, filtering or sealed bottles are the usual options, and ice and raw salad washed in tap water carry the same risk as the water itself.

What bottled water costs you here

Drinking tap water instead of bottled would save one adult about 1445$ a year in Democratic Republic Of the Congo, and keep several hundred plastic bottles out of circulation.

Work out your own saving

Elsewhere in Africa