Freedom of Expression Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Freedom of Expression Index was 0.599 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.599
Change on year
up 3.6%
World rank
106th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.704
in 2021
All-time low
0.023
in 1909
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Freedom of Expression Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom of expression index in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 0.599.
That represents a change of up 3.6% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom of expression index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.704 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 0.023, in 1909.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 106th of 176 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Freedom of Expression Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.024 | — |
| 1901 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.024 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.023 | -4.2% |
| 1910 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.023 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.049 | +113.0% |
| 1921 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.049 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.044 | -10.2% |
| 1951 | 0.052 | +18.2% |
| 1952 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.052 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.061 | +17.3% |
| 1956 | 0.061 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.065 | +6.6% |
| 1958 | 0.091 | +40.0% |
| 1959 | 0.091 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.38 | +317.6% |
| 1961 | 0.382 | +0.5% |
| 1962 | 0.382 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.382 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.382 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.378 | -1.0% |
| 1966 | 0.204 | -46.0% |
| 1967 | 0.106 | -48.0% |
| 1968 | 0.099 | -6.6% |
| 1969 | 0.099 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.085 | -14.1% |
| 1971 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.085 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.087 | +2.4% |
| 1974 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.087 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.101 | +16.1% |
| 1981 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.101 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.176 | +74.3% |
| 1991 | 0.284 | +61.4% |
| 1992 | 0.319 | +12.3% |
| 1993 | 0.357 | +11.9% |
| 1994 | 0.38 | +6.4% |
| 1995 | 0.38 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.38 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.357 | -6.1% |
| 1998 | 0.567 | +58.8% |
| 1999 | 0.568 | +0.2% |
| 2000 | 0.573 | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.573 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.573 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.573 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.601 | +4.9% |
| 2005 | 0.645 | +7.3% |
| 2006 | 0.644 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 0.648 | +0.6% |
| 2008 | 0.659 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 0.658 | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 0.682 | +3.6% |
| 2011 | 0.678 | -0.6% |
| 2012 | 0.679 | +0.1% |
| 2013 | 0.677 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 0.68 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 0.689 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 0.684 | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 0.656 | -4.1% |
| 2018 | 0.656 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.676 | +3.0% |
| 2020 | 0.702 | +3.8% |
| 2021 | 0.704 | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 0.669 | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 0.686 | +2.5% |
| 2024 | 0.578 | -15.7% |
| 2025 | 0.599 | +3.6% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.599 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.432, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.599 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.616, 97% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0239 | 0.023 | 0.024 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.023 | 0.023 | 0.023 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.049 | 0.049 | 0.049 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.049 | 0.049 | 0.049 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.049 | 0.049 | 0.049 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0621 | 0.044 | 0.091 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.2794 | 0.099 | 0.382 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0864 | 0.085 | 0.087 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.101 | 0.101 | 0.101 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3768 | 0.176 | 0.568 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6147 | 0.573 | 0.659 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.6757 | 0.656 | 0.689 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.6563 | 0.578 | 0.704 | 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 expression index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Freedom of expression index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.599 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom of expression index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.704 in 2021.
- What is the lowest freedom of expression index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.023 in 1909.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for freedom of expression index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 106th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom of expression index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. 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 Expression 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 people can discuss political matters at home and in the public sphere, the press, and media are free and can present different political perspectives, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression.