Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo is 82% bigger than Peru.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Peru: 1,285,220 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Peru’s coastline is 65 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Peru: 2,414 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Peru’s highest peak towers 1,636 m above the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Peru: 6,746 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 3.3 times as many people as Peru.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Peru: 34.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 84% more densely populated than Peru.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Peru: 27 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.8 cm taller than in Peru.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Peru: 166.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the DR Congo are 1.9 cm taller than in Peru.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Peru: 154.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Peru is 14 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Peru: 29.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.0 more children on average than in Peru.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Peru: 1.97 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Peru are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Peru: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Peru has produced 0.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Peru: 0.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Peru 3.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Peru: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Peru’s economy is 3.7 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Peru: $335 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Peru produces 9.8 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Peru: Int$18,816 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Peru (Gini 4.6 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Peru: 40.1 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in Peru, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Peru: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and Peru are practically level.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Peru: 0.9% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Peru’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Peru: 51% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Peru spends 19 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Peru: $446 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Peru live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Peru: 77.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 5.1 times as likely to die before turning one as in Peru.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Peru: 11 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Peru has 8.1 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Peru: 1.7 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in Peru are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Peru: 29.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Peru and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Peru: 12.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Peru rate their lives 2.21 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Peru: 5.97 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Peru drink 3 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Peru: 4.8 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Peru has 16 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Peru: 55.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Peru has 796 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Peru: 2,811 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Peru put in 302 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Peru: 2,143 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Peru went to school 2.8 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Peru: 10.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Peru welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Peru: 0.06 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in Peru are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Peru: 82% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
97% of people in Peru have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Peru: 96.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in Peru live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Peru: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Peru has 125 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Peru: 125 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 2 times as long as Peru’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Peru: 1,854 km (2017)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Peru fly 50 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Peru: 0.51 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 56% of Peru, but only 54% of the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Peru: 56.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Peru emits 38 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Peru: 2.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 64% in Peru.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Peru: 63.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 49% more fine dust than in Peru.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Peru: 27.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Peru: 8.6 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 28% deadlier than in Peru.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Peru: 12.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 5.6 °C warmer than Peru.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Peru: 19.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Peru gets 47% more rain than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Peru: 2,164 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Peru?
The DR Congo is larger. The DR Congo is 82% bigger than Peru.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Peru?
The DR Congo has 3.3 times as many people as Peru (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Peru?
People in Peru live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 77.9 in Peru.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Peru?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.8 cm taller than in Peru (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
