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

Health

live 21.8 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 Spain, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 85.4 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). Spain spends $4,935 as of 2023.

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have 20.6 times more doctors per person

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Spain has 42.9 as of 2022.

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have 2.0 times more access to essential health services

Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Spain scores 85 as of 2021.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 6.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Spain, that number is 15.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 64.1% 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 Spain, however, that number is 20.2% as of 2022.

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make 47.9 times more money

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $807 as of 2025, while in Spain, the GDP per capita is $38,627 as of 2025.

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be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Spain, that number is 10.4% as of 2025.

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Life

be 99.3% 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 Spain, 3.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 45.5% more likely to be literate

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 68.5% as of 2023. In Spain, it is 99.7% as of 2021.

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be 95.4% 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 Spain, on the other hand, 2.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 84.1% fewer children

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 40.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Spain, there are 6.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 4.5 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 Spain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 4.9 times 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 Spain, about 95.8% do as of 2024.

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be 2.8 times 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 Spain, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 61.6% more on education

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Spain spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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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 Spain, that number is 9.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 134.2 times more coastline

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In Spain, that number is 4,964 km.

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Safety

be 78.5% 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 Spain, they kill 3.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 1307.7 times more home broadband

Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Spain has 39.2 as of 2024.

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use 40.4 times more electricity

Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Spain uses 5,196 kWh as of 2024.

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live with 188.0 times more strain on fresh water

Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Spain withdraws 43% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 86.1% 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 Spain, it causes 10.0 as of 2019.

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emit 75.2 times more CO2

Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Spain emits 4.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Spain: At a glance

Spain is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 498,980 sq km. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World War I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy and made it a global champion of freedom and human rights. More recently the government has had to focus on measures to reverse a severe economic recession that began in mid-2008. Austerity measures implemented to reduce a large budget deficit and reassure foreign investors have led to one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe.
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How big is Spain compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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