Legislative Corruption Score in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Legislative Corruption Score was -1.78 in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Legislative Corruption Score in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2025, legislative corruption score in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at -1.78.
That represents a change of up 30.3% on the previous year and up 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, legislative corruption score in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.106 in 1960 and was at its lowest, -2.56, in 2022.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 154th out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Legislative Corruption Score in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.106 | — |
| 1961 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.106 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | -0.139 | -231.1% |
| 1971 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1972 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1973 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1974 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1975 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1976 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1977 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1978 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1979 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1980 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1982 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1983 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1984 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1985 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1986 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1987 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1988 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1989 | -0.139 | -0.0% |
| 1990 | -0.244 | +75.5% |
| 1991 | -0.244 | -0.0% |
| 1992 | -2.54 | +942.2% |
| 2003 | -1.59 | -37.4% |
| 2004 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2005 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2006 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2007 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2010 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2011 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2012 | -1.59 | -0.0% |
| 2013 | -1.89 | +18.3% |
| 2014 | -2.17 | +15.2% |
| 2015 | -2.17 | -0.0% |
| 2016 | -2.17 | -0.0% |
| 2017 | -2.34 | +7.8% |
| 2018 | -2.34 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | -2.31 | -1.2% |
| 2020 | -2.31 | -0.0% |
| 2021 | -2.31 | -0.0% |
| 2022 | -2.56 | +10.5% |
| 2023 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 2024 | -2.56 | -0.0% |
| 2025 | -1.78 | -30.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's -1.78 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.93, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's -1.78 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.375, 4.8× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.106 | 0.106 | 0.106 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.139 | -0.139 | -0.139 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.139 | -0.139 | -0.139 | 10 |
| 1990s | -1.01 | -2.54 | -0.244 | 3 |
| 2000s | -1.59 | -1.59 | -1.59 | 7 |
| 2010s | -2.02 | -2.34 | -1.59 | 10 |
| 2020s | -2.35 | -2.56 | -1.78 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 151 Paraguay -1.7 compare
- 152 Kyrgyzstan -1.72 compare
- 153 Bangladesh -1.72 compare
- 155 Solomon Islands -1.79 compare
- 156 Iraq -1.84 compare
- 157 Kenya -1.88 compare
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 legislative corruption score in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Legislative corruption score in Democratic Republic of Congo was -1.78 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest legislative corruption score recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.106 in 1960.
- What is the lowest legislative corruption score recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was -2.56 in 2022.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for legislative corruption score?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 154th out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is legislative corruption score rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.9%. 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 Legislative Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of the extent to which members of the legislature abuse their position for financial gain, such as bribes, government contracts, future employment, or stealing from the state. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.