Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 46.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Guinea, 1.3% 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.

View global rankings →

live 1.2 years longer

In Guinea, the average life expectancy is 61 years (60 years for men, 62 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.

View global rankings →

be 36.9% less likely to be obese

In Guinea, 10.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 65.8% less spent on your healthcare

Guinea spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 82.0% more likely to die by suicide

Guinea has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 14.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Guinea, 5.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 28.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Guinea, 43.7% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.

View global rankings →

make 57.0% less money

Guinea has a GDP per capita of $1,877 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 51.2% more likely to be literate

In Guinea, the literacy rate is 45.3% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 22.7% more children

In Guinea, there are approximately 33.3 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.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 56.8% less likely to have access to electricity

In Guinea, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 26% 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.

View global rankings →

be 40.9% less likely to have internet access

In Guinea, approximately 33.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 51.9% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Guinea, approximately 74% of people have access to drinking water (93% in urban areas, and 62% 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.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 65.1% more on education

Guinea spends 1.7% 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.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 88.4% less coastline

Guinea has a total of 320 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 56.4% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guinea, road accidents kill 37.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 3.0 times more home broadband

Guinea has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 83.2% less strain on fresh water

Guinea withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 23.4% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guinea, air pollution causes 94.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 82.9% less CO2

Guinea emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Compare further: Guinea vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Size Comparison · See true size
Guinea is about 10 times smaller than Democratic Republic of the Congo.
→
Moving from Guinea to Democratic Republic of the Congo · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance

Democratic Republic of the Congo is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 2,267,048 sq km. Established as a Belgian colony in 1908, the then-Republic of the Congo gained its independence in 1960, but its early years were marred by political and social instability. Col. Joseph MOBUTU seized power and declared himself president in a November 1965 coup. He subsequently changed his name - to MOBUTU Sese Seko - as well as that of the country - to Zaire. MOBUTU retained his position for 32 years through several sham elections, as well as through brutal force. Ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of refugees in 1994 from fighting in Rwanda and Burundi, led in May 1997 to the toppling of the MOBUTU regime by a rebellion backed by Rwanda and Uganda and fronted by Laurent KABILA. He renamed the country the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), but in August 1998 his regime was itself challenged by a second insurrection again backed by Rwanda and Uganda. Troops from Angola, Chad, Namibia, Sudan, and Zimbabwe intervened to support KABILA's regime. In January 2001, KABILA was assassinated and his son, Joseph KABILA, was named head of state. In October 2002, the new president was successful in negotiating the withdrawal of Rwandan forces occupying the eastern DRC; two months later, the Pretoria Accord was signed by all remaining warring parties to end the fighting and establish a government of national unity. A transitional government was set up in July 2003; it held a successful constitutional referendum in December 2005 and elections for the presidency, National Assembly, and provincial legislatures took place in 2006. In 2009, following a resurgence of conflict in the eastern DRC, the government signed a peace agreement with the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP), a primarily Tutsi rebel group. An attempt to integrate CNDP members into the Congolese military failed, prompting their defection in 2012 and the formation of the M23 armed group - named after the 23 March 2009 peace agreements. Renewed conflict has lead to the displacement of large numbers of people and significant human rights abuses. As of February 2013, peace talks between the Congolese government and the M23 were on-going. In addition, the DRC continues to experience violence committed by other armed groups including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda and Mai Mai groups. In the most recent national elections, held in November 2011, disputed results allowed Joseph KABILA to be reelected to the presidency.
Read more

How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Democratic Republic of the Congo or Guinea. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.