Total natural resource rents in Congo
Congo: Total natural resource rents was 37.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising
Total natural resource rents in 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
The most recent figure for total natural resource rents in Congo is 37.7%, measured in 2021.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 43.8% on the previous year and down 27.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, total natural resource rents in Congo peaked at 59.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.7%, in 1972.
That places Congo 4th 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 Congo, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 6.6% | — |
| 1971 | 5.9% | -11.2% |
| 1972 | 5.7% | -2.6% |
| 1973 | 7.5% | +29.7% |
| 1974 | 29.5% | +296.0% |
| 1975 | 17.1% | -42.2% |
| 1976 | 19.7% | +15.7% |
| 1977 | 21.8% | +10.3% |
| 1978 | 22.6% | +3.7% |
| 1979 | 43.1% | +90.7% |
| 1980 | 33.8% | -21.4% |
| 1981 | 20.7% | -38.8% |
| 1982 | 9.9% | -52.1% |
| 1983 | 20.2% | +103.7% |
| 1984 | 24.4% | +20.8% |
| 1985 | 26.2% | +7.3% |
| 1986 | 13.4% | -48.7% |
| 1987 | 21.7% | +61.8% |
| 1988 | 22.4% | +3.1% |
| 1989 | 36.6% | +63.5% |
| 1990 | 42.7% | +16.8% |
| 1991 | 25.4% | -40.6% |
| 1992 | 27.6% | +8.8% |
| 1993 | 32.0% | +16.0% |
| 1994 | 39.7% | +23.9% |
| 1995 | 39.1% | -1.4% |
| 1996 | 39.3% | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 45.6% | +16.1% |
| 1998 | 30.5% | -33.1% |
| 1999 | 39.2% | +28.6% |
| 2000 | 59.7% | +52.1% |
| 2001 | 48.1% | -19.4% |
| 2002 | 46.6% | -3.0% |
| 2003 | 39.3% | -15.7% |
| 2004 | 40.1% | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 48.1% | +20.0% |
| 2006 | 53.3% | +10.8% |
| 2007 | 47.5% | -10.9% |
| 2008 | 52.6% | +10.9% |
| 2009 | 35.6% | -32.4% |
| 2010 | 43.9% | +23.5% |
| 2011 | 51.8% | +18.0% |
| 2012 | 41.4% | -20.2% |
| 2013 | 33.1% | -19.9% |
| 2014 | 27.7% | -16.6% |
| 2015 | 15.9% | -42.6% |
| 2016 | 17.0% | +7.0% |
| 2017 | 29.8% | +75.3% |
| 2018 | 42.7% | +43.2% |
| 2019 | 39.2% | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 26.2% | -33.2% |
| 2021 | 37.7% | +43.8% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 37.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 4.4%, 8.6× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- Congo's 37.7% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 7.7%, 4.9× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Total natural resource rents in 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | +296.0% | 7.5% | 29.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 17.9% | 5.7% | 43.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.9% | 9.9% | 36.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 36.1% | 25.4% | 45.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 47.1% | 35.6% | 59.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 34.3% | 15.9% | 51.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 32.0% | 26.2% | 37.7% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Congo
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 total natural resource rents in Congo?
- Total natural resource rents in Congo was 37.7% 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 Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 59.7% in 2000.
- What is the lowest total natural resource rents recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.7% in 1972.
- How does Congo rank for total natural resource rents?
- Congo ranks 4th out of 211 countries with data for 2021.
- Is total natural resource rents rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this 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.