Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
see 2.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 4.4 years less
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 Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
be 63.4% more likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
have 64.4% fewer doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
have 23.8% less access to essential health services
Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
be 22.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Central African Republic, however, that number is 68.8% as of 2021.
make 31.1% less money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 13.0% more children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 62.1% more likely to die during childbirth
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 427.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.3% less likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 20.4% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 29.9% 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 Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 35.6% less on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 58.9% more 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 Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 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. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
live with 47.8% more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 36.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 72.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
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: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Central African Republic
MORE COMPARISONS
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.