Academic Freedom Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Academic Freedom Index was 0.506 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Academic Freedom Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1953–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, academic freedom index in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 0.506. That is the highest value across all 73 years on record.
The figure is up 7.4% on the previous year and up 31.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, academic freedom index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.506 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.158, in 1953.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 105th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 73 years of available data.
Academic Freedom Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | 0.158 | — |
| 1954 | 0.158 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.184 | +16.5% |
| 1956 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.184 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.278 | +51.1% |
| 1961 | 0.24 | -13.7% |
| 1962 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.24 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.193 | -19.6% |
| 1968 | 0.199 | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 0.199 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.207 | +4.0% |
| 1971 | 0.207 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.189 | -8.7% |
| 1973 | 0.192 | +1.6% |
| 1974 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.192 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.2 | +4.2% |
| 1980 | 0.202 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.202 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.205 | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 0.205 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.205 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.212 | +3.4% |
| 1989 | 0.212 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.265 | +25.0% |
| 1991 | 0.285 | +7.5% |
| 1992 | 0.285 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.285 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.285 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.285 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.299 | +4.9% |
| 1997 | 0.313 | +4.7% |
| 1998 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.313 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.323 | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 0.347 | +7.4% |
| 2006 | 0.347 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.347 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.347 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.347 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.381 | +9.8% |
| 2011 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.377 | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 0.384 | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.384 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.384 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.371 | -3.4% |
| 2018 | 0.353 | -4.9% |
| 2019 | 0.409 | +15.9% |
| 2020 | 0.425 | +3.9% |
| 2021 | 0.414 | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 0.451 | +8.9% |
| 2023 | 0.432 | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 0.471 | +9.0% |
| 2025 | 0.506 | +7.4% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.506 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.326, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.506 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.519, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0.1766 | 0.158 | 0.184 | 7 |
| 1960s | 0.2309 | 0.193 | 0.278 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1955 | 0.189 | 0.207 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2049 | 0.202 | 0.212 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2928 | 0.265 | 0.313 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.331 | 0.313 | 0.347 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3805 | 0.353 | 0.409 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4498 | 0.414 | 0.506 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More social development data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 503,732 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 7 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 0 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 7 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0104 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 1.18 million (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0045 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is academic freedom index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Academic freedom index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.506 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest academic freedom index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.506 in 2025.
- What is the lowest academic freedom index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.158 in 1953.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for academic freedom index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 105th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is academic freedom index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 31.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Academic Freedom Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which academics can research, teach, publish, express opinions, and participate in academic bodies without interference, censorship, or institutional restrictions, and universities exercise institutional autonomy.