Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of South Africa, you would:
Health
be 95.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In South Africa, 17.2% 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.
be 78.9% less likely to be obese
In South Africa, 31.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 60.7% less likely to die by suicide
South Africa has a suicide rate of 22.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 4.2 years less
In South Africa, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 years for men, 70 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 95.7% less spent on your healthcare
South Africa spends $1,354 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 73.8% fewer doctors per person
South Africa has 7.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 40.8% less access to essential health services
South Africa scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 86.3% less likely to be unemployed
In South Africa, 32.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 48.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Africa, 37.9% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 87.8% less money
South Africa has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In South Africa, there are approximately 18.5 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.
be 3.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Africa, approximately 118.0 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 24.8% less likely to be literate
In South Africa, the literacy rate is 91.2% as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Africa, approximately 24.2 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 74.8% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Africa, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 94% 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 74.9% less likely to have internet access
In South Africa, approximately 78.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 60.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Africa, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 73% 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 52.8% less on education
South Africa spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 58.7% less on healthcare
South Africa spends 8.9% 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 98.7% less coastline
South Africa has a total of 2,798 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 33.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In South Africa, road accidents kill 24.5 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 99.7% less strain on fresh water
South Africa withdraws 68% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.4% less home broadband
South Africa has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 96.0% less electricity
South Africa uses 3,247 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.1% less CO2
South Africa emits 6.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 53.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In South Africa, air pollution causes 47.0 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: South Africa vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to South Africa? See an in-depth size comparison.