Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 61.8% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 36.6% less likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 22.0 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 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 99.3% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 95.3% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 50.6% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 49.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Sweden, 8.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 3.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 98.7% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.4 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 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 106.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 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 28.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sweden, 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.
be 79.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 64.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 61.2% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 67.2% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.9% less coastline
Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 7.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 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 93.6% less strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.9% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 98.9% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.3% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 9.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Sweden vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.