Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Malaysia, you would:
Health
be 71.3% less likely to be obese
In Malaysia, 23.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 14.7 years less
In Malaysia, the average life expectancy is 77 years (74 years for men, 80 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 96.0% less spent on your healthcare
Malaysia spends $1,441 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 91.1% fewer doctors per person
Malaysia has 23.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 44.7% less access to essential health services
Malaysia scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 55.2% more likely to die by suicide
Malaysia has a suicide rate of 5.7 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 17.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Malaysia, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 11.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Malaysia, 5.1% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 93.9% less money
Malaysia has a GDP per capita of $13,125 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.3 times more children
In Malaysia, there are approximately 12.4 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 16.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Malaysia, approximately 26.0 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 28.5% less likely to be literate
In Malaysia, the literacy rate is 95.8% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 8.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Malaysia, approximately 7.0 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 Malaysia, 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 79.9% less likely to have internet access
In Malaysia, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 63.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Malaysia, approximately 98% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 95% 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 19.1% less on education
Malaysia spends 3.5% 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.
Geography
see 99.2% less coastline
Malaysia has a total of 4,675 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 17.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Malaysia, road accidents kill 13.9 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 93.3% less strain on fresh water
Malaysia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Malaysia has 13.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 97.5% less electricity
Malaysia uses 5,084 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.3% less CO2
Malaysia emits 8.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 14.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Malaysia, air pollution causes 63.0 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: Malaysia vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Malaysia? See an in-depth size comparison.