Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ethiopia fits inside the DR Congo 2.1 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Ethiopia: 1,136,240 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 560 m above Ethiopia’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Ethiopia: 4,550 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Ethiopia has 20% more people than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Ethiopia: 135 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ethiopia is 2.4 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Ethiopia: 120 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Ethiopia and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 168.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ethiopia are 0.8 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Ethiopia: 157.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ethiopia is 3 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 18.7 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 2.1 more children on average than in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Ethiopia: 3.91 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Ethiopia and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Ethiopia 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Ethiopia: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Ethiopia 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Ethiopia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ethiopia’s economy is 39% larger than the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Ethiopia: $126 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ethiopia produces 89% more per person than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Ethiopia: Int$3,622 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Ethiopia (Gini 13.6 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Ethiopia: 31.1 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 3.3% in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo spends 1.2% of its GDP on the military, Ethiopia 0.7%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Ethiopia: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Ethiopia’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Ethiopia: 26% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ethiopia spends 49% more on health per person than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Ethiopia: $35 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Ethiopia live 5.5 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Ethiopia: 67.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 63% more likely to die before turning one than in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Ethiopia: 34.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The DR Congo has 45% more doctors per person than Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Ethiopia: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
5.9% of adults in the DR Congo are obese, versus 2.5% in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Ethiopia: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 5.2% in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Ethiopia: 5.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ethiopia rate their lives 0.22 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Ethiopia: 3.99 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ethiopia drink 42% more alcohol than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ethiopia has 2 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Ethiopia: 6.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ethiopia has 544 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Ethiopia: 2,558 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 242 more hours a year than in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Ethiopia: 1,599 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the DR Congo went to school 5 years longer than in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Ethiopia: 2.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The DR Congo welcomed 27% more tourists per resident than Ethiopia (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Ethiopia: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
22% of people in Ethiopia are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Ethiopia: 22% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
57% of people in Ethiopia have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Ethiopia: 56.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 24% in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Ethiopia: 24% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ethiopia has 65 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Ethiopia: 65 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 4.8 times as long as Ethiopia’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Ethiopia: 754 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ethiopia fly 11 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Ethiopia: 0.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 15% of Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Ethiopia: 14.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ethiopia emits 2.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Ethiopia: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
The DR Congo and Ethiopia are practically level.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Ethiopia: 100% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Ethiopia: 20.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Ethiopia are 9% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Ethiopia: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 0.9 °C warmer than Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 53% more rain than Ethiopia.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ethiopia: 962 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Ethiopia?
The DR Congo is larger. Ethiopia fits inside the DR Congo 2.1 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia has 20% more people than the DR Congo (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Ethiopia?
People in Ethiopia live 5.5 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 67.6 in Ethiopia.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Ethiopia?
Ethiopia and the DR Congo are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
DR Congo vs Angola 
DR Congo vs Burundi 
DR Congo vs Central African Republic 
DR Congo vs Congo 
DR Congo vs Rwanda 
DR Congo vs South Sudan 
Ethiopia vs Djibouti 
Ethiopia vs Eritrea 
Ethiopia vs Kenya 
Ethiopia vs Somalia 
Ethiopia vs South Sudan Ethiopia vs Sudan 
The DR Congo vs the world → Ethiopia vs the world →