Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
New Zealand fits inside the DR Congo 8.8 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · New Zealand: 267,710 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
New Zealand’s coastline is 409 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 15,134 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 5,080 m above New Zealand’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 30 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 37% of New Zealand, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · New Zealand: 36.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 21 times as many people as New Zealand
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · New Zealand: 5.32 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 2.5 times as densely populated as New Zealand
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · New Zealand: 20 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in New Zealand are 9.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 177.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in New Zealand are 8.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · New Zealand: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in New Zealand is 22 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · New Zealand: 37.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.4 more children on average than in New Zealand
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · New Zealand: 1.57 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in New Zealand are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · New Zealand: 17.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 11 times as many refugees per resident as New Zealand
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · New Zealand: 0.4 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
New Zealand has produced 5.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · New Zealand: 5.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, New Zealand 3
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
New Zealand’s economy is 2.9 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · New Zealand: $264 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
New Zealand produces 30 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · New Zealand: Int$57,350 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · New Zealand: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · New Zealand: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in New Zealand, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · New Zealand: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and New Zealand are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · New Zealand: 1.1% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
New Zealand’s central government collects 30% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · New Zealand: 29.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
New Zealand’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · New Zealand: 86% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
New Zealand spends 214 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · New Zealand: $5,022 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in New Zealand live 20 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · New Zealand: 82 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in New Zealand
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · New Zealand: 4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
New Zealand has 17 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · New Zealand: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · New Zealand: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 38% higher than in New Zealand
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 13 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
35% of adults in New Zealand are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · New Zealand: 34.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 9.3% in New Zealand
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · New Zealand: 9.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in New Zealand rate their lives 3.23 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · New Zealand: 7.00 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in New Zealand drink 5.5 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · New Zealand: 8.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
New Zealand has 23 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · New Zealand: 79.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
New Zealand has 1,107 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · New Zealand: 3,122 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 133 more hours a year than in New Zealand
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · New Zealand: 1,708 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in New Zealand went to school 5.5 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · New Zealand: 12.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
New Zealand welcomed 116 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · New Zealand: 0.6 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The DR Congo has 2 more World Heritage sites than New Zealand (5 against 3)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · New Zealand: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
New Zealand has won 166 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · New Zealand: 166 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
94% of people in New Zealand are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · New Zealand: 94% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in New Zealand is 3.6 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · New Zealand: 272 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in New Zealand have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · New Zealand: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in New Zealand live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · New Zealand: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
New Zealand has 130 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · New Zealand: 130 (2024)
How much railway is there?
New Zealand’s railway network is 13% longer than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · New Zealand: 4,128 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from New Zealand fly 277 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · New Zealand: 2.82 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 39% of New Zealand
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · New Zealand: 38.9% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in New Zealand emits 115 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · New Zealand: 6.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 89% in New Zealand
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · New Zealand: 88.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 5.9 times as much fine dust as in New Zealand
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · New Zealand: 7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · New Zealand: 1.5 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.2 times as deadly as in New Zealand
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · New Zealand: 10.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 13.7 °C warmer than New Zealand
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 11.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
New Zealand gets 9% more rain than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · New Zealand: 1,596 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 New Zealand?
The DR Congo is larger. New Zealand fits inside the DR Congo 8.8 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or New Zealand?
The DR Congo has 21 times as many people as New Zealand (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or New Zealand?
People in New Zealand 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 New Zealand.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or New Zealand?
Men in New Zealand are 9.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
