Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
France fits inside the DR Congo 3.9 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · France: 606,410 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
France’s coastline is 131 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · France: 4,853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 300 m above France’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · France: 4,810 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 64% more people than France.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · France: 68.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
France is 2.6 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · France: 128 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in France are 10.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · France: 178.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in France are 8.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · France: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in France is 26 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · France: 41.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.4 more children on average than in France.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · France: 1.61 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
23% of people in France are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · France: 22.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
France has produced 9.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · France: 9.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, France 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · France: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
France’s economy is 37 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · France: $3.37 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
France produces 33 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · France: Int$63,975 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in France (Gini 12.9 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · France: 31.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in France, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · France: 7.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
France spends 2.1% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · France: 2.1% (2024)
How expensive is it?
France’s price level (US = 100) is 1.8× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · France: 77% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
France spends 227 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · France: $5,327 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in France live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · France: 83 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 17 times as likely to die before turning one as in France.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · France: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
France has 16 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · France: 3.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in France are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · France: 12.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
34% of adults in France smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · France: 33.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in France rate their lives 2.83 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · France: 6.59 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in France drink 7 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · France: 11.2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
France has 23 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · France: 80.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
France has 1,475 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · France: 3,490 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 354 more hours a year than in France.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · France: 1,487 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in France went to school 4.4 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · France: 11.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
France welcomed 262 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · France: 1.35 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in France are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · France: 89% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in France have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · France: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in France live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · France: 79% (2025)
How many phones per person?
France has 117 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · France: 117 (2023)
How much railway is there?
France’s railway network is 7.6 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · France: 27,716 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from France fly 92 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · France: 0.94 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 32% of France.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · France: 32.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in France emits 73 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · France: 4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in France.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · France: 26.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 4.6 times as much fine dust as in France.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · France: 8.9 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · France: 1.3 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 3.5 times as deadly as in France.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · France: 4.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 10.7 °C warmer than France.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · France: 14.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 27% more rain than France.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · France: 1,158 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than France?
The DR Congo is larger. France fits inside the DR Congo 3.9 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or France?
The DR Congo has 64% more people than France (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or France?
People in France live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 83.0 in France.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or France?
Men in France are 10.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
