Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Total natural resource rents was 38.8% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1970–2021
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.
Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 11.5% | — |
| 1971 | 7.7% | -32.9% |
| 1972 | 7.4% | -3.7% |
| 1973 | 12.0% | +61.4% |
| 1974 | 11.7% | -2.8% |
| 1975 | 6.7% | -42.4% |
| 1976 | 8.2% | +21.6% |
| 1977 | 7.9% | -3.6% |
| 1978 | 6.4% | -18.4% |
| 1979 | 8.4% | +31.2% |
| 1980 | 10.6% | +26.1% |
| 1981 | 9.8% | -7.7% |
| 1982 | 9.6% | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 10.7% | +10.6% |
| 1984 | 13.4% | +26.1% |
| 1985 | 13.3% | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 12.7% | -3.9% |
| 1987 | 16.5% | +29.2% |
| 1988 | 19.4% | +17.5% |
| 1989 | 20.4% | +5.2% |
| 1990 | 20.1% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 13.3% | -33.6% |
| 1992 | 15.8% | +18.9% |
| 1993 | 10.7% | -32.4% |
| 1994 | 23.6% | +119.9% |
| 1995 | 36.3% | +54.0% |
| 1996 | 36.3% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 32.2% | -11.2% |
| 1998 | 32.2% | -0.1% |
| 1999 | 28.5% | -11.5% |
| 2000 | 7.5% | -73.6% |
| 2001 | 18.4% | +145.2% |
| 2002 | 18.9% | +2.4% |
| 2003 | 29.6% | +56.6% |
| 2004 | 24.1% | -18.5% |
| 2005 | 23.7% | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 24.0% | +1.2% |
| 2007 | 25.8% | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 28.5% | +10.5% |
| 2009 | 28.3% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 26.0% | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 28.9% | +11.3% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | -6.1% |
| 2013 | 25.7% | -5.1% |
| 2014 | 24.6% | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 20.1% | -18.1% |
| 2016 | 20.6% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 24.8% | +20.4% |
| 2018 | 18.4% | -25.6% |
| 2019 | 12.8% | -30.8% |
| 2020 | 15.9% | +24.9% |
| 2021 | 38.8% | +143.8% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 38.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 10.3%, 3.8× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 38.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 5.1× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total natural resource rents in Democratic Republic of Congo changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +145.2% | 7.5% | 18.4% |
| 2021 | +143.8% | 15.9% | 38.8% |
| 1994 | +119.9% | 10.7% | 23.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 6.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 235.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 140.16 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
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
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.