Freedom of Association Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Freedom of Association Index was 0.48 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.48
Change on year
down 5.1%
World rank
123rd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.572
in 2009
All-time low
0.02
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Freedom of Association Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for freedom of association index in Democratic Republic of Congo is 0.48, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 5.1% on the previous year and up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of association index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.572 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.02, in 1900.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 123rd out of 176 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.
Freedom of Association Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.02 | — |
| 1901 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.024 | +20.0% |
| 1910 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.02 | -16.7% |
| 1921 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.02 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.08 | +300.0% |
| 1956 | 0.075 | -6.3% |
| 1957 | 0.091 | +21.3% |
| 1958 | 0.128 | +40.7% |
| 1959 | 0.167 | +30.5% |
| 1960 | 0.454 | +171.9% |
| 1961 | 0.454 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.454 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.454 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.454 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.176 | -61.2% |
| 1966 | 0.113 | -35.8% |
| 1967 | 0.056 | -50.4% |
| 1968 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.054 | -3.6% |
| 1971 | 0.041 | -24.1% |
| 1972 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.042 | +2.4% |
| 1977 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.043 | +2.4% |
| 1979 | 0.043 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.043 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.043 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.042 | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 0.041 | -2.4% |
| 1984 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.042 | +2.4% |
| 1986 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.042 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.044 | +4.8% |
| 1989 | 0.044 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.166 | +277.3% |
| 1991 | 0.228 | +37.3% |
| 1992 | 0.228 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.228 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.228 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.228 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.228 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.055 | -75.9% |
| 1998 | 0.114 | +107.3% |
| 1999 | 0.114 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.113 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.17 | +50.4% |
| 2002 | 0.218 | +28.2% |
| 2003 | 0.367 | +68.3% |
| 2004 | 0.392 | +6.8% |
| 2005 | 0.425 | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 0.504 | +18.6% |
| 2007 | 0.566 | +12.3% |
| 2008 | 0.554 | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 0.572 | +3.2% |
| 2010 | 0.542 | -5.2% |
| 2011 | 0.526 | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 0.494 | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 0.501 | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 0.505 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 0.478 | -5.3% |
| 2016 | 0.434 | -9.2% |
| 2017 | 0.458 | +5.5% |
| 2018 | 0.457 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 0.567 | +24.1% |
| 2020 | 0.562 | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 0.534 | -5.0% |
| 2022 | 0.553 | +3.6% |
| 2023 | 0.508 | -8.1% |
| 2024 | 0.506 | -0.4% |
| 2025 | 0.48 | -5.1% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.48 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.379, 1.3× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.48 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.5515, 87% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0204 | 0.02 | 0.024 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.024 | 0.024 | 0.024 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.02 | 0.02 | 0.02 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0641 | 0.02 | 0.167 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2727 | 0.056 | 0.454 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0429 | 0.041 | 0.054 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0424 | 0.041 | 0.044 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.1817 | 0.055 | 0.228 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3881 | 0.113 | 0.572 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4962 | 0.434 | 0.567 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5238 | 0.48 | 0.562 | 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 freedom of association index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Freedom of association index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.48 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of association index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.572 in 2009.
- What is the lowest freedom of association index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.02 in 1900.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for freedom of association index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 123rd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of association index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. 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 Freedom of Association Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 126 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which parties, including opposition parties, are allowed to form and participate in elections and the extent to which civil society organizations are allowed to form and operate freely.