Clientelism Index in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Clientelism Index was 0.761 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.761
Change on year
down 3.3%
World rank
27th
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.931
in 1920
All-time low
0.533
in 1963
Years of data
126
1900–2025
Clientelism Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1900–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 0.761 for clientelism index in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.3% on the previous year and down 3.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, clientelism index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 0.931 in 1920 and was at its lowest, 0.533, in 1963.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 27th out of 176 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 126 years of available data.
Clientelism Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 0.888 | — |
| 1901 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1902 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1903 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1904 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.888 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.931 | +4.8% |
| 1921 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1942 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1943 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1946 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1947 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.931 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.896 | -3.8% |
| 1951 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1957 | 0.896 | +0.0% |
| 1958 | 0.906 | +1.1% |
| 1959 | 0.906 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.647 | -28.6% |
| 1961 | 0.546 | -15.6% |
| 1962 | 0.546 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.533 | -2.4% |
| 1964 | 0.533 | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.633 | +18.8% |
| 1966 | 0.69 | +9.0% |
| 1967 | 0.716 | +3.8% |
| 1968 | 0.716 | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.716 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.733 | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 0.818 | +11.6% |
| 1972 | 0.818 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.818 | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.844 | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 0.848 | +0.5% |
| 1976 | 0.87 | +2.6% |
| 1977 | 0.872 | +0.2% |
| 1978 | 0.875 | +0.3% |
| 1979 | 0.875 | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.883 | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 0.883 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.887 | +0.5% |
| 1983 | 0.897 | +1.1% |
| 1984 | 0.896 | -0.1% |
| 1985 | 0.895 | -0.1% |
| 1986 | 0.895 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.896 | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 0.897 | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 0.897 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.851 | -5.1% |
| 1991 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.851 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.812 | -4.6% |
| 1998 | 0.719 | -11.5% |
| 1999 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.719 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.72 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.733 | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.733 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.74 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.74 | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.741 | +0.1% |
| 2012 | 0.757 | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 0.776 | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 0.776 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.787 | +1.4% |
| 2016 | 0.787 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.815 | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 0.814 | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 0.75 | -7.9% |
| 2020 | 0.722 | -3.7% |
| 2021 | 0.699 | -3.2% |
| 2022 | 0.719 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 0.656 | -8.8% |
| 2024 | 0.787 | +20.0% |
| 2025 | 0.761 | -3.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.761 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.692, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 0.761 is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.6135, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.888 | 0.888 | 0.888 | 10 |
| 1910s | 0.888 | 0.888 | 0.888 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.931 | 0.931 | 0.931 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.931 | 0.931 | 0.931 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.931 | 0.931 | 0.931 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.898 | 0.896 | 0.906 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.6276 | 0.533 | 0.716 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.8371 | 0.733 | 0.875 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.8926 | 0.883 | 0.897 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.8207 | 0.719 | 0.851 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.724 | 0.719 | 0.74 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.7743 | 0.74 | 0.815 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.724 | 0.656 | 0.787 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3528 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.335 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.31 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is clientelism index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Clientelism index in Democratic Republic of Congo was 0.761 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest clientelism index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.931 in 1920.
- What is the lowest clientelism index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.533 in 1963.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for clientelism index?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 27th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is clientelism index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Clientelism 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
Composite index measuring the extent to which politics hinge on clientelistic exchanges of targeted goods, jobs, or cash for electoral support; higher values denote more pervasive clientelism.