Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

be 70.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Central African Republic, 2.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.

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live 4.4 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 38.8% less likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.

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have 2.8 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.

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have 31.2% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.

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see 57.7% less spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.

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Economy

be 29.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

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be 18.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.

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make 45.1% more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.

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Life

be 38.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 427.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 82.7% more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.

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have 11.5% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 25.6% more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 22% of people on average (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 42.7% more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 65.5% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 55.2% more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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Safety

be 37.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 50.0% more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.

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live with 32.4% less strain on fresh water

Central African Republic withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 26.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this

Compare further: Central African Republic vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Size Comparison · See true size
Central African Republic is about 3.8 times smaller than Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Moving from Central African Republic to Democratic Republic of the Congo · UN DESA 2020
323,269 people born in Central African Republic live in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,267,048 sq km. Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the then-Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. In January 2001, KABILA was assassinated and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying the eastern DRC; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; it held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures took place in 2006. In 2009, following a resurgence of conflict in the eastern DRC, the government signed a peace agreement with the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a primarily Tutsi rebel group. An attempt to integrate CNDP members into the Congolese military failed, prompting their defection in 2012 and the formation of the M23 armed group - named after the 23 March 2009 peace agreements. Renewed conflict has lead to the displacement of large numbers of people and significant human rights abuses. As of February 2013, peace talks between the Congolese government and the M23 were on-going. In addition, the DRC continues to experience violence committed by other armed groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and Mai Mai groups. In the most recent national elections, held in November 2011, disputed results allowed Joseph KABILA to be reelected to the presidency.
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How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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