Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.6% less likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
see 73.2% more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
be 12.8% less likely to die by suicide
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 8.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Burundi, it is 7.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 62.5% fewer doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
Economy
be 79.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
make 71.0% less money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 45.9% less likely to die during infancy
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 56.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
have 18.8% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
be 47.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of people have electricity access (56% in urban areas, and 1% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 56.3% less likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 58.5% more on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 2.5 times more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 16.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.3% less home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
live with 44.3 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 16.7% more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Burundi
MORE COMPARISONS
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.