Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 63.0% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 70.6% more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
be 32.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.2% of people as of 2024.
live 6.6 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
have 88.6% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 35.9% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
be 11.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.4% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Syria, 82.5% live below the poverty line as of 2014. In Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 40.9% as of 2011.
make 2.4 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
be 46.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
Life
have 31.3% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.1 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.6% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
be 52.5% 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 42.0% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 21.9% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.
Expenditures
spend 21.8% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.4% less coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 71.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 100.0% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 81.5% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 60.4% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 20.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.