Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:
Health
live 5.5 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 Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 56.4% less likely to be obese
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
see 48.4% more spent on your healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
be 30.8% 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 Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 31.3% fewer doctors per person
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 16.7% 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. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 25.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 41.1% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 56.2% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 15.6% more money
Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.3% less 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 Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.8% 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
be 11.7% less likely to be literate
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
have 23.0% fewer children
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.5 times more 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 Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 11.5% more likely to have internet access
In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 19.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 55.8% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 19.0% less on education
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 23.9% less on healthcare
Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 19.7 times more home broadband
Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 140.3 times more strain on fresh water
Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 12.4% less electricity
Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 36.1% less 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 Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.5 times more CO2
Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Democratic Republic of the Congo vs. Ethiopia
MORE COMPARISONS
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.