Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Netherlands, you would:
Health
be 54.5% less likely to be obese
In Netherlands, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 23.7% less likely to die by suicide
Netherlands has a suicide rate of 11.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 19.9 years less
In Netherlands, the average life expectancy is 82 years (81 years for men, 83 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 99.3% less spent on your healthcare
Netherlands spends $8,195 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 94.6% fewer doctors per person
Netherlands has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
Netherlands scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Netherlands, 3.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Netherlands, 14.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 98.9% less money
Netherlands has a GDP per capita of $73,684 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.4 times more children
In Netherlands, there are approximately 9.2 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 106.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Netherlands, approximately 4.0 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 times more likely to die during infancy
In Netherlands, approximately 3.4 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 Netherlands, 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 79.7% less likely to have internet access
In Netherlands, approximately 97.0% 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 Netherlands, 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 45.2% less on education
Netherlands spends 5.2% 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 63.2% less on healthcare
Netherlands spends 10.0% 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 91.8% less coastline
Netherlands has a total of 451 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 4.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Netherlands, road accidents kill 3.4 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 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Netherlands withdraws 17% 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
Netherlands has 43.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 98.0% less electricity
Netherlands uses 6,386 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.1% less CO2
Netherlands emits 6.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Netherlands, air pollution causes 13.0 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: Netherlands vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Netherlands? See an in-depth size comparison.