State Capacity Index in Democratic Republic of Congo

Democratic Republic of Congo: State Capacity Index was -0.9912 in 2015. ▼ Falling

Latest (2015)
-0.9912
Change on year
up 6.4%
World rank
157th
of 166 countries
All-time high
-0.9417
in 1978
All-time low
-1.59
in 2009
Years of data
56
1960–2015

State Capacity Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960–2015

-1.6-1.4-1.2-1196019872015

Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

The most recent figure for state capacity index in Democratic Republic of Congo is -0.9912, measured in 2015.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 6.4% on the previous year and up 29.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, state capacity index in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at -0.9417 in 1978 and was at its lowest, -1.59, in 2009.

Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 157th of 166 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.

State Capacity Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year

Annual values for State Capacity Index in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1960 to 2015.
Year Value Change
1960 -1.49
1961 -1.45 -2.7%
1962 -1.41 -3.2%
1963 -1.31 -6.8%
1964 -1.32 +0.9%
1965 -1.28 -3.3%
1966 -1.08 -15.9%
1967 -1.11 +3.1%
1968 -1.12 +0.6%
1969 -1.05 -5.6%
1970 -1.07 +1.8%
1971 -1.16 +8.6%
1972 -1.16 -0.0%
1973 -1.22 +4.8%
1974 -1.14 -6.9%
1975 -1.07 -6.0%
1976 -1.05 -1.3%
1977 -1.05 -0.2%
1978 -0.9417 -10.5%
1979 -1.12 +19.4%
1980 -1.16 +2.8%
1981 -1.1 -4.3%
1982 -1.04 -5.9%
1983 -1.11 +7.2%
1984 -1.2 +7.7%
1985 -1.24 +2.8%
1986 -1.16 -6.4%
1987 -1.27 +9.9%
1988 -1.12 -11.8%
1989 -1.21 +7.9%
1990 -1.25 +3.4%
1991 -1.2 -3.9%
1992 -1.45 +21.1%
1993 -1.25 -14.3%
1994 -1.47 +18.0%
1995 -1.24 -15.6%
1996 -1.43 +15.1%
1997 -1.35 -5.5%
1998 -1.31 -2.9%
1999 -1.35 +2.8%
2000 -1.11 -17.8%
2001 -0.9933 -10.2%
2002 -0.9817 -1.2%
2003 -1.21 +23.6%
2004 -1.45 +19.6%
2005 -1.4 -3.8%
2006 -1.47 +5.6%
2007 -1.48 +0.3%
2008 -1.48 +0.1%
2009 -1.59 +7.2%
2010 -1.54 -3.1%
2011 -1.31 -14.7%
2012 -1.27 -3.0%
2013 -1.17 -7.8%
2014 -1.06 -9.7%
2015 -0.9912 -6.4%

Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries

  • Democratic Republic of Congo's -0.9912 is below the median for low income countries, which is -0.5349, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • Democratic Republic of Congo's -0.9912 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is -0.0931, 10.6× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s -1.26 -1.49 -1.05 10
1970s -1.1 -1.22 -0.9417 10
1980s -1.16 -1.27 -1.04 10
1990s -1.33 -1.47 -1.2 10
2000s -1.32 -1.59 -0.9817 10
2010s -1.22 -1.54 -0.9912 6

Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo

  1. 154 Guinea-Bissau -0.8603 compare
  2. 155 Sudan -0.8835 compare
  3. 156 Comoros -0.9382 compare
  4. 158 Afghanistan -1.05 compare
  5. 159 Haiti -1.15 compare
  6. 160 Syria -1.2 compare

See the full ranking of 166 places →

More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo

All data for Democratic Republic of Congo →

Frequently asked questions

What is state capacity index in Democratic Republic of Congo?
State capacity index in Democratic Republic of Congo was -0.9912 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest state capacity index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The highest recorded value was -0.9417 in 1978.
What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
The lowest recorded value was -1.59 in 2009.
How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for state capacity index?
Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 157th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
Is state capacity index rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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State Capacity Index in Democratic Republic of Congo. Statizoid, drawing on Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/state-capacity-index/congo-dem-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
State Capacity Index
Source
Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
166 places, 8,015 data points, 1960–2015
Last refreshed

Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.