Freedom Score in Congo
Congo: Freedom Score was 17 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Freedom Score in Congo, 2002–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, freedom score in Congo stood at 17. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 39.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, freedom score in Congo peaked at 42 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 17, in 2021.
That places Congo 166th out of 197 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Freedom Score in Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 39 | — |
| 2003 | 42 | +7.7% |
| 2004 | 42 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 37 | -11.9% |
| 2006 | 35 | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 32 | -8.6% |
| 2008 | 33 | +3.1% |
| 2009 | 29 | -12.1% |
| 2010 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 29 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 30 | +3.4% |
| 2014 | 30 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 28 | -6.7% |
| 2016 | 27 | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 21 | -22.2% |
| 2018 | 21 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 20 | -4.8% |
| 2020 | 20 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 17 | -15.0% |
| 2022 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 17 | +0.0% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 17 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 41, 41% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 17 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 35, 49% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 36.12 | 29 | 42 | 8 |
| 2010s | 26.4 | 20 | 30 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.5 | 17 | 20 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
More social development data for Congo
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 62,500 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,134 (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 0.002 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 13,134 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0096 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 score in Congo?
- Freedom score in Congo was 17 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest freedom score recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 42 in 2003.
- What is the lowest freedom score recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 17 in 2021.
- How does Congo rank for freedom score?
- Congo ranks 166th out of 197 countries with data for 2025.
- Is freedom score rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 39.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Freedom Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Freedom House's total democracy score is a 0-to-100 aggregate that adds up a country's points on 25 indicators of political rights (max 40) and civil liberties (max 60), creating a single snapshot of the freedoms people actually enjoy.