Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 16.9 years less

In New Caledonia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 →

Economy

be 60.3% less likely to be unemployed

In New Caledonia, 11.2% 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 →

make 97.2% less money

New Caledonia has a GDP per capita of $29,213 as of 2024, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.9 times more children

In New Caledonia, there are approximately 14.0 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 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In New Caledonia, 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.

View global rankings →

be 76.0% less likely to have internet access

In New Caledonia, approximately 82.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 64.2% less likely to have access to drinking water

In New Caledonia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 36% of people do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 98.4% less coastline

New Caledonia has a total of 2,254 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 99.8% less home broadband

New Caledonia has 19.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 99.6% less CO2

New Caledonia emits 17.1 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 (2022–2025), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: New Caledonia vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo

Size Comparison · See true size
New Caledonia is about 126 times smaller than Democratic Republic of the Congo.
→
Moving from New Caledonia 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 New Caledonia? 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 New Caledonia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.