A new United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assessment warns that the ongoing Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could push an estimated 985,000 additional people into poverty while causing billions of dollars in economic losses across Africa. The report highlights that the crisis extends far beyond public health, creating widespread socioeconomic challenges that disproportionately affect women and vulnerable communities.
According to the assessment, the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus is disrupting livelihoods, education, healthcare services, trade, and public finances in the DRC and neighboring countries, including Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan. While containment measures such as quarantines remain essential, restrictions on travel, transport, and trade are significantly impacting local economies and informal businesses.
UNDP estimates that even if the outbreak is successfully contained within the DRC and Uganda, the DRC alone could suffer more than US$1 billion in GDP losses and lose approximately 55,000 jobs. Across Africa, wider trade disruptions and declining economic activity could reduce continental GDP by as much as US$3.6 billion if the crisis intensifies.
The report also highlights the disproportionate impact on women, who dominate informal cross-border trade and make up the majority of frontline healthcare workers and family caregivers. Border restrictions and reduced economic activity are limiting income opportunities, while increased caregiving responsibilities place women at greater risk of virus exposure.
In addition to the direct health emergency, the diversion of healthcare resources toward Ebola response efforts could result in up to 2,520 additional infant deaths in the DRC from non-Ebola-related causes due to disruptions in routine medical services.
To reduce the socioeconomic impact, UNDP recommends targeted cash assistance for vulnerable households, smarter border management that allows safe trade to continue, and emergency financing to protect essential maternal, reproductive, and child healthcare services. The agency is also urging governments, development partners, and international financial institutions to invest in health systems, social protection, livelihoods, and economic resilience alongside disease containment efforts.
The assessment follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of the outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and underscores the urgent need for coordinated action to address both the health and development consequences of the Ebola crisis.
