Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
be 8.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Vietnam, 0.4% 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 8.7 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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.
be 5.1 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.
see 69.7% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.
have 84.4% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.
have 39.7% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 13.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.
make 50.4% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.3 times more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 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 5.0 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.2% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.
be 2.2 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.6% 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 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 43.9% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.
be 25.6% 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 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 27.6% less on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 15.6% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Geography
see 95.1% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.
Safety
be 52.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 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 99.8% less strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 94.6% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.
use 86.9% less electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Republic of the Congo uses 338 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 68.6% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
be 26.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Republic of the Congo
Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.