Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Italy fits inside the DR Congo 7.8 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Italy: 302,070 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 205 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 362 m above Italy’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Italy: 43.6% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 92% more people than Italy
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Italy: 58.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Italy is 4 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Italy: 199 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Italy are 5.8 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Italy: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 5.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Italy: 161.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 32 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Italy: 47.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.8 more children on average than in Italy
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Italy: 25.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 36% more refugees per resident than Italy
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Italy: 3.4 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Italy 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Italy: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 28 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 33 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Italy: Int$62,803 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Italy (Gini 10.4 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Italy: 34.3 (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 0.9% in Italy
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Italy: 0.9% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Italy: 6.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Italy spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Italy: 1.9% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy’s central government collects 26% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Italy: 25.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Italy: 69% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 145 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Italy: $3,398 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Italy: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 25 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 20 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 3.2 times that in Italy
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
18% of adults in Italy are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Italy: 17.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Italy: 22.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 2.81 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Italy: 6.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Italy drink 5.3 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Italy: 8.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 20 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Italy: 71.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 1,738 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 140 more hours a year than in Italy
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Italy: 1,701 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 3.4 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Italy: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 190 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Italy: 0.98 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 57 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (62 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Italy: 62 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Italy: 829 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Italy: 89% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 3.7 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Italy: 274 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Italy have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Italy: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Italy: 70% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Italy: 133 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 4.8 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Italy: 17,305 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Italy fly 34 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Italy: 0.34 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 32% of Italy
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Italy: 31.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 94 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Italy: 5.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 49% in Italy
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Italy: 48.8% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Italy
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.8 times as deadly as in Italy
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 10.9 °C warmer than Italy
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 43% more rain than Italy
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Italy: 1,030 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 Italy?
The DR Congo is larger. Italy fits inside the DR Congo 7.8 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Italy?
The DR Congo has 92% more people than Italy (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Italy?
People in Italy live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 84.0 in Italy.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Italy?
Men in Italy are 5.8 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
