A diachronic study of the Congolese economy from 1885 to the present day reveals that the D.R. Congo's economy is extroverted, dependent, fragile and not very dynamic. Since the 1990s, it has been dominated by the informal sector. It should be noted that the Congolese have never managed their own economy. Under E.I.C., it was Leopold II who took control. During colonization, Belgium took the baton of the pilgrim. After independence, neo-colonialism imposed itself with unparalleled voracity.The country is poorly industrialized, which implies large-scale importation of basic necessities. In short, the Congolese economy was held hostage by Westerners.