Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Poland fits inside the DR Congo 7.5 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Poland: 313,940 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Poland’s coastline is 12 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Poland: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,611 m above Poland’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Poland: 2,499 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 46% of Poland, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Poland: 46.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 3.1 times as many people as Poland
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Poland: 36.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Poland is 2.4 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Poland: 119 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Poland are 12.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Poland: 180.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Poland are 9.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Poland: 165.8 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Poland is 26 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Poland: 41.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.8 more children on average than in Poland
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Poland: 1.14 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Poland are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Poland: 20.8% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Poland hosts 6.1 times as many refugees per resident as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Poland: 27.2 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Poland has produced 7.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Poland: 7.7 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Poland 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Poland: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Poland’s economy is 11 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Poland: $1.04 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Poland produces 28 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Poland: Int$54,262 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Poland (Gini 16.2 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Poland: 28.5 (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 Poland
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Poland: 0.2% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 3.0% in Poland
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Poland: 3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Poland spends 4.5% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Poland: 4.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Poland’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Poland: 17.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Poland’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Poland: 52% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Poland spends 86 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Poland: $2,014 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Poland live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Poland: 78.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 16 times as likely to die before turning one as in Poland
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Poland: 3.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Poland has 19 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Poland: 4 per 1,000 (2023)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Poland: 6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 34% higher than in Poland
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Poland: 13.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
26% of adults in Poland are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Poland: 25.9% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Poland smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Poland: 21.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Poland rate their lives 3.01 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Poland: 6.77 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Poland drink 7.2 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Poland: 11.5 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Poland has 24 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Poland: 83.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Poland has 1,715 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Poland: 3,730 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 34 more hours a year than in Poland
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Poland: 1,807 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Poland went to school 5.8 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Poland: 13.2 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Poland welcomed 105 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Poland: 0.54 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Poland has 13 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (18 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Poland: 18 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Poland has won 335 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Poland: 335 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Poland are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Poland: 89% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Poland is 3.8 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Poland: 288 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Poland have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Poland: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
60% of people in Poland live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Poland: 60% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Poland has 138 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Poland: 138 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Poland’s railway network is 5.1 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Poland: 18,620 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Poland fly 24 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Poland: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 31% of Poland
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Poland: 31% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Poland emits 131 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Poland: 7.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 32% in Poland
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Poland: 31.5% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.6 times as much fine dust as in Poland
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Poland: 15.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Poland: 0.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.1 times as deadly as in Poland
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Poland: 11.5 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 15.1 °C warmer than Poland
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 9.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 93% more rain than Poland
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Poland: 763 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 Poland?
The DR Congo is larger. Poland fits inside the DR Congo 7.5 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Poland?
The DR Congo has 3.1 times as many people as Poland (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Poland?
People in Poland live 16 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 78.4 in Poland.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Poland?
Men in Poland are 12.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
