Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: Total natural resource rents was 38.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
38.8%
Change on year
up 143.8%
World rank
3rd
of 211 countries
All-time high
38.8%
in 2021
All-time low
6.4%
in 1978
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2021

10203040197019952021

Source: The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.

Analysis

In 2021, total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo stood at 38.8%. That is the highest value across all 52 years on record.

The figure is up 143.8% on the previous year and up 34.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 38.8% in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.4%, in 1978.

That places Democratic Republic of Congo 3rd out of 211 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 52 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 8.8% 6.4% 12.0% 10
1980s 13.6% 9.6% 20.4% 10
1990s 24.9% 10.7% 36.3% 10
2000s 22.9% 7.5% 29.6% 10
2010s 22.9% 12.8% 28.9% 10
2020s 27.4% 15.9% 38.8% 2

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 1 Libya 61.0% compare
  2. 2 Iraq 43.4% compare
  3. 4 Congo 37.7% compare
  4. 5 Zambia 35.3% compare
  5. 6 East Timor 34.7% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo was 38.8% in 2021, according to The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest total natural resource rents recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was 38.8% in 2021.
What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was 6.4% in 1978.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for total natural resource rents?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 3rd out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 34.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Total natural resource rents. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 52 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Total natural resource rents
Unit
% of GDP
Source
The Changing Wealth of Nations, World Bank staff estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
211 places, 9,209 data points, 1970–2021
Last refreshed

Natural resources rents are estimated as the difference between the price of a commodity and the average cost of producing it. Total natural resources rents are the sum of oil rents, natural gas rents, coal rents, mineral rents, and forest rents.