Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 78.1% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Republic of the Congo, 3.2% 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.

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be 45.2% less likely to be obese

In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.

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have 20.2% more doctors per person

Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.

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live 3.9 years less

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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.

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see 72.3% less spent on your healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.

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be 30.7% more likely to die by suicide

Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 77.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.

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make 67.9% less money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.

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Life

have 34.4% more children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 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.

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be 77.2% more likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 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.

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be 15.0% less likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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.

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Basic Needs

be 56.9% less likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% 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.

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be 58.4% less likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.

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be 51.4% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. 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.

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Expenditures

spend 15.0% less on education

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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.

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spend 11.5% more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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.

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Geography

see 78.1% less coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.

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Safety

be 94.0% more likely to die in a road accident

In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, they kill 16.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 97.6% less home broadband

Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.

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live with 7.7 times more strain on fresh water

Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.

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use 62.0% less electricity

Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 95.5% less CO2

Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

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

Size Comparison · See true size
Republic of the Congo is about 7 times smaller than Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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Moving from Republic of the Congo to Democratic Republic of the Congo · UN DESA 2020
6,242 people born in Republic of the Congo live in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
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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.
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How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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