Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Gabon, you would:
Health
be 75.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gabon, 2.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 70.5% less likely to be obese
In Gabon, 22.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 6.4 years less
In Gabon, the average life expectancy is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 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 91.4% less spent on your healthcare
Gabon spends $673 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 60.1% fewer doctors per person
Gabon has 5.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 14.3% less access to essential health services
Gabon scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 20.1% more likely to die by suicide
Gabon has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Gabon, 20.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 68.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Gabon, 33.4% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 90.2% less money
Gabon has a GDP per capita of $8,263 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 50.7% more children
In Gabon, there are approximately 27.1 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 83.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Gabon, approximately 233.0 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 22.9% less likely to be literate
In Gabon, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Gabon, approximately 25.9 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 76.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gabon, approximately 94% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 29% 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 71.4% less likely to have internet access
In Gabon, approximately 68.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 59.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gabon, approximately 89% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 49% 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 22.4% more on education
Gabon spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 17.6% more on healthcare
Gabon spends 3.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.8% less coastline
Gabon has a total of 885 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 30.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gabon, road accidents kill 12.5 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 54.0% less strain on fresh water
Gabon withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.4% less home broadband
Gabon has 4.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 87.4% less electricity
Gabon uses 1,023 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 97.1% less CO2
Gabon emits 2.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 35.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Gabon, air pollution causes 53.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Gabon vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Gabon? See an in-depth size comparison.