Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Iraq fits inside the DR Congo 5.4 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Iraq: 435,050 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Iraq’s coastline is 57% longer than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Iraq: 58 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,499 m above Iraq’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Iraq: 3,611 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 22% of Iraq, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Iraq: 21.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 2.4 times as many people as Iraq
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Iraq: 47 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Iraq is 2.2 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Iraq: 108 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Iraq are 5.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Iraq: 173.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Iraq are 2.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Iraq: 158.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Iraq is 4.6 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Iraq: 20.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 2.8 more children on average than in Iraq
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Iraq: 3.22 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Iraq and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Iraq: 3.4% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Iraq hosts 54% more refugees per resident than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Iraq: 6.9 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Iraq has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Iraq: 0.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Iraq 3
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Iraq: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Iraq’s economy is 2.8 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Iraq: $254 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Iraq produces 7.4 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Iraq: Int$14,267 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Iraq (Gini 14.9 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Iraq: 29.8 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.5% in Iraq
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Iraq: 0.5% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 15% in Iraq, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Iraq: 15.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Iraq spends 2.4% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Iraq: 2.4% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The DR Congo’s central government collects 11% of GDP in tax, Iraq’s 1.3%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Iraq: 1.3% (2019)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Iraq’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Iraq: 38% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Iraq spends 14 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Iraq: $333 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Iraq live 10 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Iraq: 72.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 2.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Iraq
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Iraq: 20.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Iraq has 4.9 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Iraq: 1 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Iraq: 1.1 per 1,000 (2018)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 3.5 times that in Iraq
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 5.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Iraq are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Iraq: 36.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Iraq smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Iraq: 20.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Iraq rate their lives 1.45 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Iraq: 5.21 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in Iraq
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Iraq: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Iraq has 6 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Iraq: 21.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Iraq has 356 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Iraq: 2,371 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 258 more hours a year than in Iraq
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Iraq: 1,583 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the DR Congo went to school 0.6 years longer than in Iraq
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Iraq: 6.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Iraq: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Iraq has 1 more World Heritage site than the DR Congo (6 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Iraq: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Iraq has won 1 Olympic medal, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Iraq: 1 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
81% of people in Iraq are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Iraq: 81% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the DR Congo is 21% faster than in Iraq
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Iraq: 62 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Iraq have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Iraq: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Iraq live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Iraq: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Iraq has 100 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Iraq: 100 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 54% longer than Iraq’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Iraq: 2,370 km (2014)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Iraq fly 7.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Iraq: 0.08 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 1.6% of Iraq
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Iraq emits 94 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Iraq: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.6% in Iraq
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Iraq: 1.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Iraq carries 18% more fine dust than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Iraq: 48.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Iraq are 33% deadlier than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Iraq: 31.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 0.9 °C warmer than Iraq
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 23.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 6.9 times as much rain as Iraq
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Iraq: 214 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 Iraq?
The DR Congo is larger. Iraq fits inside the DR Congo 5.4 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Iraq?
The DR Congo has 2.4 times as many people as Iraq (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Iraq?
People in Iraq live 10 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 72.4 in Iraq.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Iraq?
Men in Iraq are 5.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
