Human Rights Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights Index was 0.42 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.42
Change on year
up 5.3%
World rank
134th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.526
in 2019
All-time low
0.027
in 1920
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Human Rights Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human rights index in Democratic Republic of Congo is 0.42, measured in 2025.
The figure is up 5.3% on the previous year and down 0.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human rights index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.526 in 2019 and was at its lowest, 0.027, in 1920.
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 134th of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Human Rights Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.064 | — |
| 1901 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.064 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.04 | -37.5% |
| 1910 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.04 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.027 | -32.5% |
| 1921 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.027 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.035 | +29.6% |
| 1947 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.034 | -2.9% |
| 1951 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.045 | +32.4% |
| 1956 | 0.045 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.051 | +13.3% |
| 1958 | 0.062 | +21.6% |
| 1959 | 0.067 | +8.1% |
| 1960 | 0.212 | +216.4% |
| 1961 | 0.23 | +8.5% |
| 1962 | 0.23 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.23 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.23 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.198 | -13.9% |
| 1966 | 0.142 | -28.3% |
| 1967 | 0.109 | -23.2% |
| 1968 | 0.113 | +3.7% |
| 1969 | 0.113 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.104 | -8.0% |
| 1971 | 0.106 | +1.9% |
| 1972 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.107 | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 0.109 | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 0.111 | +1.8% |
| 1981 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.111 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.118 | +6.3% |
| 1989 | 0.116 | -1.7% |
| 1990 | 0.18 | +55.2% |
| 1991 | 0.208 | +15.6% |
| 1992 | 0.208 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.214 | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 0.214 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.221 | +3.3% |
| 1996 | 0.226 | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 0.184 | -18.6% |
| 1998 | 0.268 | +45.7% |
| 1999 | 0.29 | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 0.298 | +2.8% |
| 2001 | 0.306 | +2.7% |
| 2002 | 0.318 | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 0.337 | +6.0% |
| 2004 | 0.369 | +9.5% |
| 2005 | 0.379 | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 0.381 | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.381 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.408 | +7.1% |
| 2010 | 0.425 | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 0.421 | -0.9% |
| 2012 | 0.42 | -0.2% |
| 2013 | 0.419 | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 0.427 | +1.9% |
| 2015 | 0.422 | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.402 | -4.7% |
| 2017 | 0.373 | -7.2% |
| 2018 | 0.398 | +6.7% |
| 2019 | 0.526 | +32.2% |
| 2020 | 0.489 | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 0.508 | +3.9% |
| 2022 | 0.505 | -0.6% |
| 2023 | 0.458 | -9.3% |
| 2024 | 0.399 | -12.9% |
| 2025 | 0.42 | +5.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.42 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.42, 1.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.42 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6165, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0616 | 0.04 | 0.064 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.04 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.027 | 0.027 | 0.027 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.027 | 0.027 | 0.027 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0302 | 0.027 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.044 | 0.034 | 0.067 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.1807 | 0.109 | 0.23 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.1062 | 0.104 | 0.109 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.1122 | 0.111 | 0.118 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.2213 | 0.18 | 0.29 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.3558 | 0.298 | 0.408 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.4233 | 0.373 | 0.526 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.4632 | 0.399 | 0.508 | 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 human rights index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Human rights index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.42 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human rights index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.526 in 2019.
- What is the lowest human rights index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.027 in 1920.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for human rights index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 134th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is human rights index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.5%. 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 Human Rights 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 are free from government torture, political killings, and forced labor, they have property rights, and enjoy the freedoms of movement, religion, expression, and association.