World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside the Congo 3.1 times.
Congo: 342,000 km² (2023) · World median: 111,370 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 2.6 times as long as the Congo’s.
Congo: 169 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The median country’s highest peak towers 1,315 m above the Congo’s.
Congo: 1,020 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The median country has 14% more people than the Congo.
Congo: 6.48 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 5.2 times as densely populated as the Congo.
Congo: 19 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 2.3 cm taller than in the Congo.
Congo: 171.2 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 1.8 cm taller than in the Congo.
Congo: 158.8 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 13 years older than in the Congo.
Congo: 18.3 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the Congo have 2.2 more children on average than in the median country.
Congo: 4.11 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the Congo.
Congo: 3.1% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Congo and the median country are practically level.
Congo: 0 (2025) · World median: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The Congo has 3 official languages, the median country 1.
Congo: 3 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The median country’s economy is 2.8 times the size of the Congo’s.
Congo: $16.3 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 2.9 times as much per person as the Congo.
Congo: Int$7,248 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Congo: no data · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 20% in the Congo, versus 5.1% in the median country.
Congo: 19.9% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and the Congo are practically level.
Congo: 1.2% (2024) · World median: 1.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the Congo’s.
Congo: 35% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 6.2 times as much on health per person as the Congo.
Congo: $76 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 8.6 years longer than in the Congo.
Congo: 66 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the Congo is 2.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country.
Congo: 27 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 9.7 times as many doctors per person as the Congo.
Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 12% in the Congo.
Congo: 11.5% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 16% in the Congo.
Congo: 16.2% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 1.38 points higher than in the Congo.
Congo: 4.46 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 12% more alcohol than in the Congo.
Congo: 3.9 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country and the Congo are nearly identical here.
Congo: 55.8 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 751 kcal more food per person per day than the Congo.
Congo: 2,187 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the Congo put in 560 more hours a year than in the median country.
Congo: 2,534 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 1.6 years longer than in the Congo.
Congo: 8.3 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as the Congo (2019).
Congo: 0.03 (2018) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 47% in the Congo.
Congo: 47% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 53% in the Congo.
Congo: 53% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
The Congo and the median country are practically level.
Congo: 64% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the Congo 96.
Congo: 96 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The median country’s railway network is 2.4 times as long as the Congo’s.
Congo: 893 km (2012) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from the Congo.
Congo: 0.02 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of the Congo, but only 31% of the median country.
Congo: 64.1% (2023) · World median: 31.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in the Congo.
Congo: 1.4 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of the median country’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in the Congo.
Congo: 20.9% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the Congo carries 2.4 times as much fine dust as in the median country.
Congo: 40.3 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Congo: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the median country are 46% deadlier than in the Congo.
Congo: 8.4 per 100k (2021) · World median: 12.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The Congo is on average 2.3 °C warmer than the median country.
Congo: 25.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The Congo gets 47% more rain than the median country.
Congo: 1,486 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the Congo bigger than the median country?
The Congo is larger. The median country fits inside the Congo 3.1 times.
Which has more people, the Congo or the median country?
The median country has 14% more people than the Congo (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the Congo or the median country?
People in the median country live 8.6 years longer than in the Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 66.0 years in the Congo and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the Congo or the median country?
Men in the median country are 2.3 cm taller than in the Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
