Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway fits inside the DR Congo 3.8 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Norway: 624,500 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 680 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,641 m above Norway’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 16% of the DR Congo, versus 2.7% of Norway
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Norway: 2.7% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 20 times as many people as Norway
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Norway: 5.61 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 3.2 times as densely populated as Norway
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Norway: 15 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 11.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Norway: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 10.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Norway: 166.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 24 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Norway: 39.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.5 more children on average than in Norway
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Norway: 19.1% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 5 times as many refugees per resident as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Norway: 23.2 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Norway 3
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Norway: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Norway’s economy is 5.8 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Norway: $531 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 54 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Norway: Int$104,044 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Norway (Gini 18.2 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Norway: 26.5 (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 0.2% in Norway
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Norway: 0.2% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Norway and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Norway: 4.6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Norway: 3.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Norway’s central government collects 25% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Norway: 24.5% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Norway: 91% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 354 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Norway: $8,296 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Norway live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Norway: 83.2 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 28 times as likely to die before turning one as in Norway
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 24 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 55% higher than in Norway
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Norway are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Norway: 20.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in Norway smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Norway: 12.9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 3.48 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Norway: 7.24 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Norway drink 4.3 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Norway: 7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 20 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Norway: 70.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 1,461 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 429 more hours a year than in Norway
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Norway: 1,412 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 5.7 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Norway: 13.1 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 177 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Norway: 0.91 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Norway has 3 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (8 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Norway: 8 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Norway has won 616 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Norway: 616 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Norway is 3.1 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Norway: 228 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Norway have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Norway: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in Norway live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Norway: 84% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Norway has 109 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Norway: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Norway’s railway network is 7% longer than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Norway: 3,885 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Norway: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 33% of Norway
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Norway: 33.2% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Norway emits 123 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Norway: 6.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 99% in Norway
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Norway: 99% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 6.1 times as much fine dust as in Norway
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 8.2 times as deadly as in Norway
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 23.2 °C warmer than Norway
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 17% more rain than Norway
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Norway: 1,259 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 Norway?
The DR Congo is larger. Norway fits inside the DR Congo 3.8 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Norway?
The DR Congo has 20 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Norway?
People in Norway live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 83.2 in Norway.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Norway?
Men in Norway are 11.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
