Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 76.1% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 10.7 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 93.8% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 83.8% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 28.8% less access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 77.5% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 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 70.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 87.8% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 98.3% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 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% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 Guatemala, 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 67.3% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 61.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% 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 45.9% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% 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 90.8% less coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 29.4% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 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 96.0% less strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% 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
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 82.5% less electricity
Guatemala uses 733 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 94.6% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 80.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 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: Guatemala vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.