Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Thailand, you would:
Health
be 59.1% less likely to be obese
In Thailand, 16.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
be 47.1% less likely to die by suicide
Thailand has a suicide rate of 16.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 14.5 years less
In Thailand, the average life expectancy is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 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 94.6% less spent on your healthcare
Thailand spends $1,067 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 61.6% fewer doctors per person
Thailand has 5.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 48.8% less access to essential health services
Thailand scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Thailand, 0.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 10.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Thailand, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 90.0% less money
Thailand has a GDP per capita of $8,057 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 5.0 times more children
In Thailand, there are approximately 8.1 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 12.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Thailand, approximately 34.0 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 Thailand, the literacy rate is 91.1% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 7.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Thailand, approximately 7.7 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 77.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Thailand, 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 78.4% less likely to have internet access
In Thailand, approximately 90.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 64.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Thailand, 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 18.9% less on healthcare
Thailand spends 4.5% 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.
spend 12.7% more on education
Thailand spends 2.5% 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.
Geography
see 98.9% less coastline
Thailand has a total of 3,219 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Safety
be 35.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Thailand, road accidents kill 25.4 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 99.0% less strain on fresh water
Thailand withdraws 23% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 99.8% less home broadband
Thailand has 14.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 95.7% less electricity
Thailand uses 2,965 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.5% less CO2
Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Thailand, air pollution causes 29.0 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: Thailand vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Thailand? See an in-depth size comparison.