Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 12.7 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
see 91.6% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 81.2% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
have 38.2% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
be 20.1% more likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 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 2.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 13.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 84.1% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 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 8.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 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 28.7% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
be 4.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 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 Vietnam, 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 76.6% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 63.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% 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 19.3% less on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% 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 98.9% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
Infrastructure
live with 98.7% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% 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
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 95.0% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.6% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 38.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 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: Vietnam vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.