Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 79.7% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
live 10.5 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 52.8% less spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 86.3% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 34.4% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 14.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 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 67.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
make 23.7% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 76.5% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 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 21.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 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 27.5% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 75.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 57.8% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 62.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 35.8% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% 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 80.8% less coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 45.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 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 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.6% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 84.9% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 13.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
emit 95.3% less CO2
Syria 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.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.