Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government was 73.6% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
73.6%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
161st
of 174 countries
All-time high
87.4%
in 1978
All-time low
59.6%
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 73.6% for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in 2025.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 87.4% in 1978 and was at its lowest, 59.6%, in 1960.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 161st out of 174 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 59.6% | — |
| 1961 | 59.6% | +0.0% |
| 1962 | 59.6% | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 59.6% | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 59.6% | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 59.6% | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 72.8% | +22.1% |
| 1967 | 72.8% | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 72.8% | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 72.8% | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 76.0% | +4.4% |
| 1971 | 82.4% | +8.4% |
| 1972 | 87.2% | +5.8% |
| 1973 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 86.6% | -0.7% |
| 1978 | 87.4% | +0.9% |
| 1979 | 87.4% | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 87.2% | -0.2% |
| 1981 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 86.8% | -0.5% |
| 1985 | 86.8% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 87.2% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 87.2% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 75.8% | -13.1% |
| 1993 | 75.8% | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 75.8% | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 75.8% | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 62.4% | -17.7% |
| 1997 | 59.8% | -4.2% |
| 1998 | 64.0% | +7.0% |
| 1999 | 64.0% | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 64.2% | +0.3% |
| 2001 | 66.6% | +3.7% |
| 2002 | 66.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 66.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 66.6% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 72.8% | +9.2% |
| 2006 | 74.5% | +2.4% |
| 2007 | 75.8% | +1.8% |
| 2008 | 75.8% | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 75.8% | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 77.2% | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 77.2% | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 77.2% | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 73.2% | -5.3% |
| 2014 | 73.9% | +1.0% |
| 2015 | 75.5% | +2.1% |
| 2016 | 73.6% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 74.6% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 78.2% | +4.8% |
| 2019 | 72.6% | -7.1% |
| 2020 | 74.6% | +2.7% |
| 2021 | 76.5% | +2.5% |
| 2022 | 77.4% | +1.2% |
| 2023 | 76.6% | -1.1% |
| 2024 | 74.9% | -2.2% |
| 2025 | 73.6% | -1.7% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 73.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 82.5%, 89% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 73.6% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 89.9%, 82% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 64.9% | 59.6% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 85.6% | 76.0% | 87.4% | 10 |
| 1980s | 87.1% | 86.8% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 72.8% | 59.8% | 87.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.5% | 64.2% | 75.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 75.3% | 72.6% | 78.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.6% | 73.6% | 77.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure Management 380.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 8.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.82 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 109.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.44 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 11.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure left on 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,987 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 601.15 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government in Democratic Republic of Congo was 73.6% in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 87.4% in 1978.
- What is the lowest percentage of territory effectively controlled by government recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 59.6% in 1960.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 161st out of 174 countries with data for 2025.
- Is percentage of territory effectively controlled by government rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.