Rule of Law Index in Congo
Congo: Rule of Law Index was 0.182 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
0.182
Change on year
down 5.2%
World rank
142nd
of 176 countries
All-time high
0.463
in 1993
All-time low
0.056
in 1979
Years of data
123
1903–2025
Rule of Law Index in Congo, 1903–2025
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for rule of law index in Congo is 0.182, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.2% on the previous year and up 19.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rule of law index in Congo peaked at 0.463 in 1993 and was at its lowest, 0.056, in 1979.
Congo ranks 142nd of 176 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 123 years of available data.
Rule of Law Index in Congo, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 0.307 | — |
| 1904 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1905 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1906 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1907 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1908 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1909 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1910 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1911 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1912 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1913 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1914 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1915 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1916 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1917 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1918 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1919 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1920 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1921 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1922 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1923 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1924 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1925 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1926 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1927 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1928 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1929 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1930 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1931 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1932 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1933 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1934 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1935 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1936 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1937 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1938 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1939 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1940 | 0.307 | +0.0% |
| 1941 | 0.313 | +2.0% |
| 1942 | 0.305 | -2.6% |
| 1943 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 1944 | 0.305 | +0.0% |
| 1945 | 0.289 | -5.2% |
| 1946 | 0.281 | -2.8% |
| 1947 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1948 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1949 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1950 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1951 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1952 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1953 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1954 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1955 | 0.281 | +0.0% |
| 1956 | 0.273 | -2.8% |
| 1957 | 0.278 | +1.8% |
| 1958 | 0.283 | +1.8% |
| 1959 | 0.283 | +0.0% |
| 1960 | 0.416 | +47.0% |
| 1961 | 0.415 | -0.2% |
| 1962 | 0.415 | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.373 | -10.1% |
| 1964 | 0.366 | -1.9% |
| 1965 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 0.366 | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.078 | -78.7% |
| 1969 | 0.076 | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.076 | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.074 | -2.6% |
| 1974 | 0.074 | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.073 | -1.4% |
| 1976 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.073 | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.062 | -15.1% |
| 1979 | 0.056 | -9.7% |
| 1980 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.056 | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.059 | +5.4% |
| 1983 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.059 | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.084 | +42.4% |
| 1991 | 0.425 | +406.0% |
| 1992 | 0.461 | +8.5% |
| 1993 | 0.463 | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.463 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.134 | -71.1% |
| 1998 | 0.137 | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 0.146 | +6.6% |
| 2000 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.146 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.144 | -1.4% |
| 2010 | 0.14 | -2.8% |
| 2011 | 0.14 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.14 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.152 | +8.6% |
| 2014 | 0.152 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.152 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.152 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.151 | -0.7% |
| 2018 | 0.168 | +11.3% |
| 2019 | 0.154 | -8.3% |
| 2020 | 0.194 | +26.0% |
| 2021 | 0.192 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.184 | -4.2% |
| 2023 | 0.199 | +8.2% |
| 2024 | 0.192 | -3.5% |
| 2025 | 0.182 | -5.2% |
Congo compared with similar countries
- Congo's 0.182 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 0.3495, 52% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Congo's 0.182 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 0.3685, 49% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.307 | 0.307 | 0.307 | 7 |
| 1910s | 0.307 | 0.307 | 0.307 | 10 |
| 1920s | 0.307 | 0.307 | 0.307 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.307 | 0.307 | 0.307 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.2948 | 0.281 | 0.313 | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.2803 | 0.273 | 0.283 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.3237 | 0.076 | 0.416 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0713 | 0.056 | 0.076 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0584 | 0.056 | 0.059 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.3239 | 0.084 | 0.463 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1458 | 0.144 | 0.146 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.1501 | 0.14 | 0.168 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.1905 | 0.182 | 0.199 | 6 |
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 rule of law index in Congo?
- Rule of law index in Congo was 0.182 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest rule of law index recorded in Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 0.463 in 1993.
- What is the lowest rule of law index recorded in Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.056 in 1979.
- How does Congo rank for rule of law index?
- Congo ranks 142nd out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rule of law index rising or falling in Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 19.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Congo data come from?
- The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Rule of Law Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 123 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Central estimate of the extent to which the government complies with the law, courts are independent, laws transparent, justice accessible, corruption absent, and the bureaucracy is impartial.