Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Malaysia fits inside the DR Congo 7.1 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Malaysia: 330,534 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Malaysia’s coastline is 126 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,675 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,015 m above Malaysia’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 4,095 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 25% of Malaysia, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Malaysia: 24.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 3.1 times as many people as Malaysia
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Malaysia: 36 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Malaysia is 2.2 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Malaysia: 110 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Malaysia and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 169.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Malaysia and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Malaysia: 157.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Malaysia is 14 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Malaysia: 30.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.4 more children on average than in Malaysia
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Malaysia: 1.54 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.0% of people in Malaysia are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Malaysia: 8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 7% more refugees per resident than Malaysia
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Malaysia: 4.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Malaysia none
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Malaysia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Malaysia 2
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Malaysia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Malaysia’s economy is 5.2 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Malaysia: $472 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Malaysia produces 22 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Malaysia: Int$41,498 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Malaysia (Gini 4 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Malaysia: 40.7 (2021)
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% in Malaysia
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Malaysia: 0% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 3.8% in Malaysia
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 3.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and Malaysia are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Malaysia: 1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Malaysia’s central government collects 12% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Malaysia: 12.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× Malaysia’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Malaysia: 32% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Malaysia spends 19 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Malaysia: $450 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Malaysia live 15 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Malaysia: 76.8 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 8.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Malaysia
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Malaysia: 7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Malaysia has 11 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Malaysia: 2.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Malaysia: 2 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 3.6 times that in Malaysia
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 5 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in Malaysia are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Malaysia: 23.6% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
17% of adults in Malaysia smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Malaysia: 16.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Malaysia rate their lives 2.24 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Malaysia: 6.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 2 times as much alcohol as in Malaysia
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Malaysia: 0.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Malaysia has 20 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Malaysia: 69.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Malaysia has 912 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Malaysia: 2,927 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Malaysia put in 467 more hours a year than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Malaysia: 2,308 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Malaysia went to school 3.7 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Malaysia: 11.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Malaysia welcomed 56 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Malaysia: 0.29 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Malaysia has 1 more World Heritage site than the DR Congo (6 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Malaysia: 6 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Malaysia has won 15 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Malaysia: 15 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in Malaysia are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Malaysia: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Malaysia is 3.6 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Malaysia: 269 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Malaysia have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
77% of people in Malaysia live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Malaysia: 77% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Malaysia has 140 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Malaysia: 140 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Malaysia’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Malaysia: 1,655 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Malaysia fly 127 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Malaysia: 1.3 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 58% of Malaysia
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Malaysia: 57.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Malaysia emits 151 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Malaysia: 8.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Malaysia
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Malaysia: 20.7% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Malaysia
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Malaysia: 15.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Malaysia: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 46% deadlier than in Malaysia
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Malaysia: 16.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Malaysia is on average 1.2 °C warmer than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 26°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Malaysia gets 2.1 times as much rain as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Malaysia: 3,081 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 Malaysia?
The DR Congo is larger. Malaysia fits inside the DR Congo 7.1 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Malaysia?
The DR Congo has 3.1 times as many people as Malaysia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Malaysia?
People in Malaysia live 15 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 76.8 in Malaysia.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Malaysia?
Malaysia and the DR Congo are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
