Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
be 42.3% less likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
have 90.8% more doctors per person
Senegal has 1.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
live 6.9 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 71.9% less spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 16.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 29.7% more likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 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 62.3% more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 49.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 58.7% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.0% more likely to be literate
In Senegal, the literacy rate is 50.4% as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
have 40.1% more children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 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 80.2% more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 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 95.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 70.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 67.3% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 59.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 53.9% less on education
Senegal spends 6.2% 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.
spend 14.8% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% 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.
Geography
see 93.0% less coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 21.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Senegal, road accidents kill 20.8 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
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.3% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 68.7% less electricity
Senegal uses 410 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.2% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 10.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Senegal, air pollution causes 65.0 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: Senegal vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.