Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ecuador fits inside the DR Congo 9.1 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Ecuador: 256,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ecuador’s coastline is 60 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 2,237 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Ecuador’s highest peak towers 1,157 m above the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 6,267 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 20% of Ecuador, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Ecuador: 20.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 6.2 times as many people as Ecuador
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Ecuador: 18.3 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ecuador is 48% more densely populated than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Ecuador: 74 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.3 cm taller than in Ecuador
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 167.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the DR Congo are 1.1 cm taller than in Ecuador
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Ecuador: 155.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ecuador is 13 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Ecuador: 28.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.2 more children on average than in Ecuador
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Ecuador: 1.81 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Ecuador are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Ecuador: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 3.1 times as many refugees per resident as Ecuador
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Ecuador: 1.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ecuador none
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Ecuador: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Ecuador 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Ecuador: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ecuador’s economy is 43% larger than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Ecuador: $130 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ecuador produces 8.7 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Ecuador: Int$16,757 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Ecuador than in the DR Congo (Gini 1.2 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Ecuador: 45.9 (2025)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 3.4% in Ecuador
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Ecuador: 3.4% (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 3.3% in Ecuador
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Ecuador: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Ecuador spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Ecuador: 2.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ecuador’s central government collects 13% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Ecuador: 13.1% (2022)
How expensive is it?
Ecuador’s price level (US = 100) is 1× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Ecuador: 43% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ecuador spends 22 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Ecuador: $509 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ecuador live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Ecuador: 77.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 5.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Ecuador
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Ecuador: 10.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ecuador has 11 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Ecuador: 2.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Ecuador: 1.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 3.3 times that in Ecuador
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 5.5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Ecuador are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Ecuador: 28.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 10% in Ecuador
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Ecuador: 10.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ecuador rate their lives 2.38 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Ecuador: 6.14 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ecuador drink 2 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Ecuador: 3.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ecuador has 16 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Ecuador: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ecuador has 606 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Ecuador: 2,621 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 247 more hours a year than in Ecuador
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Ecuador: 1,594 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ecuador went to school 1.6 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Ecuador: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Ecuador: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
The DR Congo and Ecuador are practically level
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Ecuador: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ecuador has won 10 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Ecuador: 10 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
77% of people in Ecuador are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Ecuador: 77% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ecuador is 3.9 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Ecuador: 290 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
99% of people in Ecuador have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Ecuador: 98.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
63% of people in Ecuador live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Ecuador: 63% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ecuador has 102 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Ecuador: 102 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 3.8 times as long as Ecuador’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Ecuador: 965 km (2022)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ecuador fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Ecuador: 0.25 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 50% of Ecuador
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Ecuador: 49.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ecuador emits 47 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Ecuador: 2.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 79% in Ecuador
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Ecuador: 79.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.3 times as much fine dust as in Ecuador
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Ecuador: 17.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Ecuador: 45.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ecuador are 30% deadlier than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Ecuador: 30.8 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 3.6 °C warmer than Ecuador
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 21.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Ecuador gets 2.2 times as much rain as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ecuador: 3,204 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Ecuador?
The DR Congo is larger. Ecuador fits inside the DR Congo 9.1 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Ecuador?
The DR Congo has 6.2 times as many people as Ecuador (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Ecuador?
People in Ecuador live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 77.6 in Ecuador.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Ecuador?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.3 cm taller than in Ecuador (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
