Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
be 41.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% 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.
live 7.4 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 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.
be 51.1% less likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
have 10.5% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
see 77.8% less spent on your healthcare
Nigeria spends $260 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 45.3% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
be 75.8% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 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 44.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 34.1% less money
Nigeria has a GDP per capita of $1,224 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 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 19.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
have 25.8% more children
In Nigeria, there are approximately 32.5 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.
Basic Needs
be 63.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 52.3% less likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 56.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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 12.2% less on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 8.9 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% 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 95.7% less coastline
Nigeria has a total of 853 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Infrastructure
live with 97.6% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 62.5% less home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 10.8% less electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 89.5% less CO2
Nigeria emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nigeria vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.