Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 92.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
be 54.5% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2024.
have 52.9% more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 2.1 as of 2022.
be 49.4% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 8.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.0 years less
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 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 44.0% less spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Democratic Republic of the Congo spends $58 as of 2023.
have 23.6% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Democratic Republic of the Congo scores 42 as of 2021.
Economy
be 52.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.4% as of 2025.
be 46.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 56.2% as of 2020.
make 73.3% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $807 as of 2025.
Life
have 36.8% more children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 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 19.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 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 23.6% less likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 68.5% as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 64.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% 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 52.8% less likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 19.7% do as of 2024.
be 46.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% 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 7.5 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% 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.
spend 25.6% more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% 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.
Safety
be 45.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, 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 99.5% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Democratic Republic of the Congo withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 98.5% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo has 0.0 as of 2024.
use 74.5% less electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Democratic Republic of the Congo uses 129 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 92.2% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Democratic Republic of the Congo emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 28.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it causes 72.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.