Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Iceland, you would:
Health
be 69.9% less likely to be obese
In Iceland, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 26.4% less likely to die by suicide
Iceland has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 20.7 years less
In Iceland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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
Iceland spends $6,927 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 95.2% fewer doctors per person
Iceland has 43.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 52.8% less access to essential health services
Iceland scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 22.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Iceland, 3.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 6.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Iceland, 8.8% live below the poverty line as of 2017. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 99.2% less money
Iceland has a GDP per capita of $98,323 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.7 times more children
In Iceland, there are approximately 11.2 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 142.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iceland, approximately 3.0 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 26.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In Iceland, approximately 2.1 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 Iceland, 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 80.0% less likely to have internet access
In Iceland, approximately 98.2% 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 Iceland, 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 61.1% less on education
Iceland spends 7.3% 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 59.0% less on healthcare
Iceland spends 9.0% 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 99.3% less coastline
Iceland has a total of 4,970 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 6.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Iceland, road accidents kill 2.4 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 41.0% less strain on fresh water
Iceland withdraws 0% 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
Iceland has 37.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 99.7% less electricity
Iceland uses 48,998 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.3% less CO2
Iceland emits 8.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 9.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Iceland, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Iceland vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Iceland? See an in-depth size comparison.