Civil liberties rating in Congo
Congo: Civil liberties rating was 6 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
6
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
16th
of 199 countries
All-time high
7
in 1972
All-time low
3
in 1992
Years of data
53
1972–2025
Civil liberties rating in Congo, 1972–2025
Source: Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Congo recorded 6 for civil liberties rating in 2025.
That represents a change of up 20.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, civil liberties rating in Congo peaked at 7 in 1972 and was at its lowest, 3, in 1992.
That places Congo 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 53 years of available data.
Civil liberties rating in Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 7 | — |
| 1973 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1974 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 7 | +16.7% |
| 1979 | 7 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 6 | -14.3% |
| 1982 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 4 | -33.3% |
| 1992 | 3 | -25.0% |
| 1993 | 3 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 4 | +33.3% |
| 1995 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 1998 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 4 | -20.0% |
| 2001 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 4 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 5 | +25.0% |
| 2006 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 5 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 6 | +20.0% |
| 2022 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 6 | +0.0% |
| 2025 | 6 | +0.0% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 6 is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 5, 1.2× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 6 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 5, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 6.38 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 1980s | 6 | 6 | 6 | 9 |
| 1990s | 4.3 | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.5 | 4 | 5 | 10 |
| 2010s | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.83 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Congo
- 16 Bahrain 6 compare
- 16 Burundi 6 compare
- 16 Cameroon 6 compare
- 16 Chad 6 compare
- 16 China 6 compare
- 16 Cuba 6 compare
- 16 Democratic Republic of Congo 6 compare
- 16 Egypt 6 compare
- 16 Eswatini 6 compare
- 16 Ethiopia 6 compare
- 16 Iraq 6 compare
- 16 Laos 6 compare
- 16 Libya 6 compare
- 16 Nicaragua 6 compare
- 16 Russia 6 compare
- 16 Rwanda 6 compare
- 16 Saudi Arabia 6 compare
- 16 Syria 6 compare
- 16 Turkey 6 compare
- 16 United Arab Emirates 6 compare
- 16 Uzbekistan 6 compare
- 16 Venezuela 6 compare
- 16 Vietnam 6 compare
- 16 Yemen 6 compare
More reference data data for Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0199 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.1866 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0031 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 0.2108 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.0668 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 0.0724 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9126 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.08 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.017 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is civil liberties rating in Congo?
- Civil liberties rating in Congo was 6 in 2025, according to Freedom House (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest civil liberties rating recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 7 in 1972.
- What is the lowest civil liberties rating recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 3 in 1992.
- How does Congo rank for civil liberties rating?
- Congo ranks 16th out of 199 countries with data for 2025.
- Is civil liberties rating rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. 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 Civil liberties rating. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 53 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Identifies the extent of freedom of expression and association, the rule of law, and personal autonomy. Lower ratings indicate more liberties.