Direct Democracy Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Direct Democracy Index was 0.033 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Direct Democracy Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for direct democracy index in Democratic Republic of Congo is 0.033, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of down 68.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, direct democracy index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.331 in 1970 and was at its lowest, 0, in 1900.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 86th out of 175 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Direct Democracy Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0 | — |
| 1901 | 0 | — |
| 1902 | 0 | — |
| 1903 | 0 | — |
| 1904 | 0 | — |
| 1905 | 0 | — |
| 1906 | 0 | — |
| 1907 | 0 | — |
| 1908 | 0 | — |
| 1909 | 0 | — |
| 1910 | 0 | — |
| 1911 | 0 | — |
| 1912 | 0 | — |
| 1913 | 0 | — |
| 1914 | 0 | — |
| 1915 | 0 | — |
| 1916 | 0 | — |
| 1917 | 0 | — |
| 1918 | 0 | — |
| 1919 | 0 | — |
| 1920 | 0 | — |
| 1921 | 0 | — |
| 1922 | 0 | — |
| 1923 | 0 | — |
| 1924 | 0 | — |
| 1925 | 0 | — |
| 1926 | 0 | — |
| 1927 | 0 | — |
| 1928 | 0 | — |
| 1929 | 0 | — |
| 1930 | 0 | — |
| 1931 | 0 | — |
| 1932 | 0 | — |
| 1933 | 0 | — |
| 1934 | 0 | — |
| 1935 | 0 | — |
| 1936 | 0 | — |
| 1937 | 0 | — |
| 1938 | 0 | — |
| 1939 | 0 | — |
| 1940 | 0 | — |
| 1941 | 0 | — |
| 1942 | 0 | — |
| 1943 | 0 | — |
| 1944 | 0 | — |
| 1945 | 0 | — |
| 1946 | 0 | — |
| 1947 | 0 | — |
| 1948 | 0 | — |
| 1949 | 0 | — |
| 1950 | 0 | — |
| 1951 | 0 | — |
| 1952 | 0 | — |
| 1953 | 0 | — |
| 1954 | 0 | — |
| 1955 | 0 | — |
| 1956 | 0 | — |
| 1957 | 0 | — |
| 1958 | 0 | — |
| 1959 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 0 | — |
| 1961 | 0 | — |
| 1962 | 0 | — |
| 1963 | 0 | — |
| 1964 | 0.1 | — |
| 1965 | 0 | -100.0% |
| 1966 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0.213 | — |
| 1968 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.213 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.331 | +55.4% |
| 1971 | 0.331 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.319 | -3.6% |
| 1973 | 0.307 | -3.8% |
| 1974 | 0.295 | -3.9% |
| 1975 | 0.275 | -6.8% |
| 1976 | 0.256 | -6.9% |
| 1977 | 0.259 | +1.2% |
| 1978 | 0.247 | -4.6% |
| 1979 | 0.235 | -4.9% |
| 1980 | 0.223 | -5.1% |
| 1981 | 0.211 | -5.4% |
| 1982 | 0.191 | -9.5% |
| 1983 | 0.172 | -9.9% |
| 1984 | 0.175 | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 0.163 | -6.9% |
| 1986 | 0.151 | -7.4% |
| 1987 | 0.331 | +119.2% |
| 1988 | 0.331 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.323 | -2.4% |
| 1990 | 0.116 | -64.1% |
| 1991 | 0.108 | -6.9% |
| 1992 | 0.1 | -7.4% |
| 1993 | 0.092 | -8.0% |
| 1994 | 0.084 | -8.7% |
| 1995 | 0.076 | -9.5% |
| 1996 | 0.068 | -10.5% |
| 1997 | 0.06 | -11.8% |
| 1998 | 0.052 | -13.3% |
| 1999 | 0.045 | -13.5% |
| 2000 | 0.037 | -17.8% |
| 2001 | 0.029 | -21.6% |
| 2002 | 0.021 | -27.6% |
| 2003 | 0.013 | -38.1% |
| 2004 | 0.013 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.131 | +907.7% |
| 2006 | 0.151 | +15.3% |
| 2007 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.151 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.143 | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 0.136 | -4.9% |
| 2012 | 0.128 | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 0.12 | -6.3% |
| 2014 | 0.112 | -6.7% |
| 2015 | 0.104 | -7.1% |
| 2016 | 0.096 | -7.7% |
| 2017 | 0.088 | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 0.08 | -9.1% |
| 2019 | 0.072 | -10.0% |
| 2020 | 0.065 | -9.7% |
| 2021 | 0.057 | -12.3% |
| 2022 | 0.049 | -14.0% |
| 2023 | 0.041 | -16.3% |
| 2024 | 0.033 | -19.5% |
| 2025 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.033 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.033, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.033 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.033, 1.0× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Direct Democracy Index in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | +907.7% | 0.013 | 0.131 |
| 1987 | +119.2% | 0.151 | 0.331 |
| 1965 | -100.0% | 0.1 | 0 |
| 1970 | +55.4% | 0.213 | 0.331 |
| 1990 | -64.1% | 0.323 | 0.116 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0739 | 0 | 0.213 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.2855 | 0.235 | 0.331 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.2271 | 0.151 | 0.331 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0801 | 0.045 | 0.116 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0848 | 0.013 | 0.151 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1079 | 0.072 | 0.143 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0463 | 0.033 | 0.065 | 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 direct democracy index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Direct democracy index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.033 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest direct democracy index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.331 in 1970.
- What is the lowest direct democracy index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 in 1900.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for direct democracy index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 86th out of 175 countries with data for 2025.
- Is direct democracy index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 68.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- 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 Direct Democracy Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measures the extent of how easy it is for citizens to vote on specific issues themselves in popular initiatives, referendums, and plebiscites.