Key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Key features of liberal democracy was 0.115 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
0.115
Change on year
down 6.5%
World rank
131st
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.153
in 2009
All-time low
0.012
in 1900
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 0.115.
The figure is down 6.5% on the previous year and down 5.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.153 in 2009 and was at its lowest, 0.012, in 1900.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 131st 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.
Key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.012 | — |
| 1901 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.012 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.029 | +141.7% |
| 1909 | 0.041 | +41.4% |
| 1910 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.041 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.033 | -19.5% |
| 1921 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.034 | +3.0% |
| 1956 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.034 | +0.0% |
| 1959 | 0.035 | +2.9% |
| 1960 | 0.102 | +191.4% |
| 1961 | 0.148 | +45.1% |
| 1962 | 0.148 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.135 | -8.8% |
| 1964 | 0.126 | -6.7% |
| 1965 | 0.095 | -24.6% |
| 1966 | 0.049 | -48.4% |
| 1967 | 0.039 | -20.4% |
| 1968 | 0.038 | -2.6% |
| 1969 | 0.038 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.027 | -28.9% |
| 1971 | 0.032 | +18.5% |
| 1972 | 0.032 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.032 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.031 | -3.1% |
| 1975 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.031 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.03 | -3.2% |
| 1978 | 0.033 | +10.0% |
| 1979 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.035 | +6.1% |
| 1981 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.033 | -5.7% |
| 1983 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.033 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.034 | +3.0% |
| 1989 | 0.033 | -2.9% |
| 1990 | 0.051 | +54.5% |
| 1991 | 0.055 | +7.8% |
| 1992 | 0.054 | -1.8% |
| 1993 | 0.035 | -35.2% |
| 1994 | 0.035 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.036 | +2.9% |
| 1996 | 0.036 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.026 | -27.8% |
| 1998 | 0.039 | +50.0% |
| 1999 | 0.043 | +10.3% |
| 2000 | 0.053 | +23.3% |
| 2001 | 0.055 | +3.8% |
| 2002 | 0.056 | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 0.085 | +51.8% |
| 2004 | 0.096 | +12.9% |
| 2005 | 0.098 | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 0.116 | +18.4% |
| 2007 | 0.149 | +28.4% |
| 2008 | 0.149 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.153 | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 0.152 | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 0.15 | -1.3% |
| 2012 | 0.141 | -6.0% |
| 2013 | 0.124 | -12.1% |
| 2014 | 0.126 | +1.6% |
| 2015 | 0.122 | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 0.119 | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 0.11 | -7.6% |
| 2018 | 0.117 | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 0.141 | +20.5% |
| 2020 | 0.152 | +7.8% |
| 2021 | 0.14 | -7.9% |
| 2022 | 0.15 | +7.1% |
| 2023 | 0.123 | -18.0% |
| 2024 | 0.123 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 0.115 | -6.5% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.115 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.102, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.115 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.17, 68% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0166 | 0.012 | 0.041 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.041 | 0.041 | 0.041 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.033 | 0.033 | 0.033 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.033 | 0.033 | 0.033 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.033 | 0.033 | 0.033 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.0336 | 0.033 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.0918 | 0.038 | 0.148 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0312 | 0.027 | 0.033 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0335 | 0.033 | 0.035 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.041 | 0.026 | 0.055 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.101 | 0.053 | 0.153 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1302 | 0.11 | 0.152 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1338 | 0.115 | 0.152 | 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 key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Key features of liberal democracy in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.115 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.153 in 2009.
- What is the lowest key features of liberal democracy recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.012 in 1900.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for key features of liberal democracy?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 131st out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is key features of liberal democracy rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.7%. 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 Key features of liberal democracy. 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 of suffrage, the freedom and fairness of elections, freedoms of association and expression, individual and minority rights, equality before the law, and executive constraints.