Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Japan fits inside the DR Congo 6.2 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Japan: 377,969 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Japan’s coastline is 804 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Japan: 29,751 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,334 m above Japan’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Japan: 3,776 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Japan has 9% more people than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Japan: 123 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Japan is 6.8 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Japan: 338 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Japan are 3.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Japan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Japan are 2.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Japan: 158.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Japan is 33 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Japan: 49 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.8 more children on average than in Japan.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Japan: 1.15 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
30% of people in Japan are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Japan: 30% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Japan has produced 2.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Japan: 2.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Japan 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Japan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Japan’s economy is 49 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Japan: $4.44 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Japan produces 29 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Japan: Int$55,422 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Japan (Gini 12.4 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Japan: 32.3 (2020)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 2.5% in Japan.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Japan: 2.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Japan and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Japan: 1.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Japan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Japan: 65% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Japan spends 155 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Japan: $3,638 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Japan live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Japan: 84 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 31 times as likely to die before turning one as in Japan.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Japan: 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Japan has 13 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Japan: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
5.9% of adults in the DR Congo are obese, versus 5.2% in Japan.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Japan: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
18% of adults in Japan smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Japan: 17.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Japan rate their lives 2.37 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Japan: 6.13 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Japan drink 3.9 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Japan: 6.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Japan has 17 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Japan: 59.9 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Japan has 655 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Japan: 2,670 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 187 more hours a year than in Japan.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Japan: 1,654 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Japan went to school 5.3 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Japan: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Japan welcomed 58 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Japan: 0.3 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
86% of people in Japan are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Japan: 86% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Japan have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Japan: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
92% of people in Japan live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Japan: 92% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Japan has 178 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Japan: 178 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Japan’s railway network is 5.5 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Japan: 20,087 km (2011)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Japan fly 96 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Japan: 0.98 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 68% of Japan, but only 54% of the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Japan: 68.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Japan emits 144 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Japan: 7.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 24% in Japan.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Japan: 23.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Japan.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Japan: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Japan: 0.2 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 6 times as deadly as in Japan.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Japan: 2.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 12.1 °C warmer than Japan.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 12.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Japan gets 24% more rain than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Japan: 1,824 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Japan?
The DR Congo is larger. Japan fits inside the DR Congo 6.2 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Japan?
Japan has 9% more people than the DR Congo (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Japan?
People in Japan 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 Japan.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Japan?
Men in Japan are 3.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
