Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Ireland fits inside the DR Congo 33 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Ireland: 70,280 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Ireland’s coastline is 39 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,448 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 4,069 m above Ireland’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Ireland: 1,041 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 65% of Ireland, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Ireland: 65.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 21 times as many people as Ireland
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Ireland: 5.48 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Ireland is 60% more densely populated than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Ireland: 80 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Ireland are 10.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Ireland: 179 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Ireland are 8.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Ireland: 164.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Ireland is 23 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Ireland: 38.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.5 more children on average than in Ireland
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Ireland: 1.47 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
16% of people in Ireland are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Ireland: 16.2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Ireland hosts 5.6 times as many refugees per resident as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Ireland: 25.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Ireland has produced 9.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Ireland: 9.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Ireland 2
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Ireland’s economy is 7.9 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Ireland: $722 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Ireland produces 81 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Ireland: Int$155,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Ireland (Gini 15.7 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Ireland: 29 (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 0.1% in Ireland
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Ireland: 0.1% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Ireland and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Ireland: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo spends 1.4% of its GDP on the military, Ireland 0.2%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Ireland: 0.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Ireland’s central government collects 18% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Ireland: 17.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Ireland’s price level (US = 100) is 2× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Ireland: 85% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Ireland spends 316 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Ireland: $7,395 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Ireland live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Ireland: 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 Ireland
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Ireland: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Ireland has 19 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Ireland: 3.9 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Ireland: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 2.5 times that in Ireland
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 7.2 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in Ireland are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Ireland: 30.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Ireland smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Ireland: 18.2% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Ireland rate their lives 3.17 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Ireland: 6.93 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Ireland drink 6.4 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Ireland: 10.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Ireland has 28 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Ireland: 98.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Ireland has 1,906 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Ireland: 3,921 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 187 more hours a year than in Ireland
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Ireland: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Ireland went to school 4.3 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Ireland: 11.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Ireland welcomed 427 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Ireland: 2.2 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
The DR Congo has 3 more World Heritage sites than Ireland (5 against 2)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Ireland: 2 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Ireland has won 42 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Ireland: 42 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in Ireland are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Ireland: 97% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Ireland is 4 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Ireland: 300 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Ireland have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Ireland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Ireland live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Ireland: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Ireland has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Ireland: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Ireland’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Ireland: 1,650 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Ireland fly 3,444 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Ireland: 35.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 12% of Ireland
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Ireland: 12% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Ireland emits 117 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Ireland: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 48% in Ireland
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Ireland: 48.1% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 5.6 times as much fine dust as in Ireland
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Ireland: 7.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Ireland: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 4.6 times as deadly as in Ireland
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Ireland: 5.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 14.5 °C warmer than Ireland
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 29% more rain than Ireland
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Ireland: 1,139 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 Ireland?
The DR Congo is larger. Ireland fits inside the DR Congo 33 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Ireland?
The DR Congo has 21 times as many people as Ireland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Ireland?
People in Ireland 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 Ireland.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Ireland?
Men in Ireland are 10.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
