Wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 31.8% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1820–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 31.8% for wealth share of the richest 1% in 2024.
The figure is up 11.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 46.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 27.1%, in 2012.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 34th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 41.8% | — |
| 1850 | 43.6% | +4.4% |
| 1880 | 45.7% | +4.7% |
| 1900 | 45.7% | +0.1% |
| 1910 | 45.6% | -0.2% |
| 1920 | 45.8% | +0.2% |
| 1930 | 45.8% | +0.1% |
| 1940 | 45.9% | +0.2% |
| 1950 | 46.1% | +0.3% |
| 1960 | 46.8% | +1.5% |
| 1970 | 46.9% | +0.3% |
| 1980 | 28.0% | -40.3% |
| 1981 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 1982 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1983 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 28.0% | -0.1% |
| 1987 | 28.0% | -0.0% |
| 1988 | 27.9% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1990 | 28.0% | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 28.0% | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 1993 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 27.9% | -0.0% |
| 1996 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 28.0% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 27.9% | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 28.0% | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 28.0% | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 27.9% | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 27.8% | -0.4% |
| 2007 | 27.8% | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 27.7% | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 27.5% | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 27.4% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 27.4% | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 27.1% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 28.1% | +3.6% |
| 2014 | 28.6% | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 29.1% | +1.6% |
| 2016 | 29.8% | +2.3% |
| 2017 | 30.3% | +1.7% |
| 2018 | 30.8% | +1.8% |
| 2019 | 31.3% | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 31.8% | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 31.8% | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 31.8% | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 31.8% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 31.8% | +0.0% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 31.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 25.9%, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 31.8% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 26.3%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | -40.3% | 46.9% | 28.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820s | 41.8% | 41.8% | 41.8% | 1 |
| 1850s | 43.6% | 43.6% | 43.6% | 1 |
| 1880s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 1 |
| 1900s | 45.7% | 45.7% | 45.7% | 1 |
| 1910s | 45.6% | 45.6% | 45.6% | 1 |
| 1920s | 45.8% | 45.8% | 45.8% | 1 |
| 1930s | 45.8% | 45.8% | 45.8% | 1 |
| 1940s | 45.9% | 45.9% | 45.9% | 1 |
| 1950s | 46.1% | 46.1% | 46.1% | 1 |
| 1960s | 46.8% | 46.8% | 46.8% | 1 |
| 1970s | 46.9% | 46.9% | 46.9% | 1 |
| 1980s | 28.0% | 27.9% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 28.0% | 27.9% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 27.8% | 27.5% | 28.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.0% | 27.1% | 31.3% | 10 |
| 2020s | 31.8% | 31.8% | 31.8% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
More reference data data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.18 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 220.65 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 3,924 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 3,062 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 9.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure left on Pasture 1,764 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Burning - Crop residues 0.2179 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Manure applied 313.43 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 3,057 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in Democratic Republic of Congo was 31.8% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 46.9% in 1970.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.1% in 2012.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 34th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.