Total natural resource rents in Congo

Congo: Total natural resource rents was 37.7% in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
37.7%
Change on year
up 43.8%
World rank
4th
of 211 countries
All-time high
59.7%
in 2000
All-time low
5.7%
in 1972
Years of data
52
1970–2021

Total natural resource rents in Congo, 1970–2021

0204060197019952021

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 1 Libya 61.0% compare
  2. 2 Iraq 43.4% compare
  3. 3 Democratic Republic of Congo 38.8% compare
  4. 5 Zambia 35.3% compare
  5. 6 East Timor 34.7% compare
  6. 7 Guyana 33.7% compare

See the full ranking of 211 places →

More reference data data for Congo

All data for Congo →

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

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.