The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The Netherlands fits inside the DR Congo 56 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Netherlands: 41,540 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The Netherlands’ coastline is 12 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 451 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 4,248 m above the Netherlands’.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Netherlands: 862 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 6.2 times as many people as the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Netherlands: 18.1 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The Netherlands is 11 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Netherlands: 537 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the Netherlands are 15.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 183.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the Netherlands are 14.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Netherlands: 170.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the Netherlands is 26 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Netherlands: 41.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.6 more children on average than in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Netherlands: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in the Netherlands are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Netherlands: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The Netherlands has produced 11.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Netherlands: 11.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, the Netherlands 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Netherlands: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The Netherlands’ economy is 15 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Netherlands: $1.33 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The Netherlands produces 45 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Netherlands: Int$87,320 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in the Netherlands (Gini 19 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Netherlands: 25.7 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 3.9% in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Netherlands: 3.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The Netherlands spends 1.9% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Netherlands: 1.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The Netherlands’ price level (US = 100) is 2× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Netherlands: 84% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The Netherlands spends 292 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Netherlands: $6,845 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the Netherlands live 20 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Netherlands: 82 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 the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The Netherlands has 19 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Netherlands: 3.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in the Netherlands are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Netherlands: 16.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in the Netherlands smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Netherlands: 20.5% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the Netherlands rate their lives 3.46 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Netherlands: 7.22 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the Netherlands drink 5.4 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Netherlands: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The Netherlands has 21 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Netherlands: 71.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The Netherlands has 1,452 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Netherlands: 3,467 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 402 more hours a year than in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Netherlands: 1,439 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the Netherlands went to school 5.3 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Netherlands: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The Netherlands welcomed 176 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Netherlands: 0.91 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
97% of people in the Netherlands are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Netherlands: 97% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the Netherlands have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Netherlands: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
96% of people in the Netherlands live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Netherlands: 96% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The Netherlands has 129 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Netherlands: 129 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 20% longer than the Netherlands’.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Netherlands: 3,041 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the Netherlands fly 225 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Netherlands: 2.29 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 11% of the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Netherlands: 11.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the Netherlands emits 117 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Netherlands: 6.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 51% in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Netherlands: 51.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 4.3 times as much fine dust as in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Netherlands: 9.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Netherlands: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 4.8 times as deadly as in the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Netherlands: 3.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 13.6 °C warmer than the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 11.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 66% more rain than the Netherlands.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Netherlands: 887 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than the Netherlands?
The DR Congo is larger. The Netherlands fits inside the DR Congo 56 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or the Netherlands?
The DR Congo has 6.2 times as many people as the Netherlands (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or the Netherlands?
People in the Netherlands live 20 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 82.0 in the Netherlands.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or the Netherlands?
Men in the Netherlands are 15.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
