Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo is 34% bigger than Iran.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Iran: 1,745,150 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Iran’s coastline is 66 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Iran: 2,440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Iran’s highest peak towers 515 m above the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Iran: 5,625 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 22% more people than Iran.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Iran: 92.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iran is 14% more densely populated than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Iran: 57 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iran are 7.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Iran: 175.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iran are 4.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Iran: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iran is 17 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Iran: 32.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.3 more children on average than in Iran.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Iran: 1.68 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in Iran are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Iran: 8.6% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iran has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Iran: 0.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Iran 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Iran: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iran’s economy is 4 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Iran: $363 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iran produces 10 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Iran: Int$19,699 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Iran (Gini 8.8 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Iran: 35.9 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Iran, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Iran: 8.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iran spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Iran: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× Iran’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Iran: 20% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iran spends 11 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Iran: $267 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iran live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Iran: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 5.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iran.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Iran: 10.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iran has 8.7 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Iran: 1.8 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Iran are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Iran: 25.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
The DR Congo and Iran are practically level.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Iran: 11.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iran rate their lives 1.39 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Iran: 5.15 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 77 times as much alcohol as in Iran.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Iran: 0.021 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iran has 8.6 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Iran: 29.9 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iran has 860 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Iran: 2,875 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Iran put in 405 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Iran: 2,246 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Iran went to school 3.5 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Iran: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Iran: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
85% of people in Iran are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Iran: 85% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iran have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Iran: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Iran live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Iran: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iran has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Iran: 174 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Iran’s railway network is 2.6 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Iran: 9,455 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iran fly 19 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Iran: 0.2 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 6.6% of Iran.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Iran: 6.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iran emits 160 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Iran: 8.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 3.8% in Iran.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Iran: 3.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 9% more fine dust than in Iran.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iran: 37.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Iran: 2.4 per 100k (2014)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iran are 26% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Iran: 20.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 5.5 °C warmer than Iran.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 19.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 5.4 times as much rain as Iran.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iran: 272 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Iran?
The DR Congo is larger. The DR Congo is 34% bigger than Iran.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Iran?
The DR Congo has 22% more people than Iran (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Iran?
People in Iran live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 77.9 in Iran.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Iran?
Men in Iran are 7.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
