Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of France, you would:
Health
be 40.2% less likely to be obese
In France, 11.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 47.1% less likely to die by suicide
France has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 20.9 years less
In France, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 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.
see 99.2% less spent on your healthcare
France spends $6,868 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 93.7% fewer doctors per person
France has 32.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
France scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 41.2% less likely to be unemployed
In France, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In France, 15.6% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 98.4% less money
France has a GDP per capita of $48,986 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In France, there are approximately 9.7 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.
be 61.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In France, approximately 7.0 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.
be 16.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In France, approximately 3.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 56.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In France, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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.
be 77.8% less likely to have internet access
In France, approximately 88.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 64.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In France, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 36% of people on average (59% in urban areas, and 14% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 46.6% less on education
France spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 68.1% less on healthcare
France spends 11.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 99.2% less coastline
France has a total of 4,853 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 3.5 times more likely to die in a road accident
In France, road accidents kill 4.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.9% less strain on fresh water
France withdraws 21% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.9% less home broadband
France has 48.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 98.0% less electricity
France uses 6,447 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.5% less CO2
France emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In France, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: France vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to France? See an in-depth size comparison.