Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Portugal fits inside the DR Congo 25 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Portugal: 92,230 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Portugal’s coastline is 48 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Portugal: 1,793 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,759 m above Portugal’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Portugal: 2,351 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 41% of Portugal, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Portugal: 41.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 10 times as many people as Portugal
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Portugal: 10.8 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Portugal is 2.4 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Portugal: 118 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Portugal are 5.8 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Portugal: 174.4 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Portugal are 4.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Portugal: 161.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Portugal is 30 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Portugal: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.6 more children on average than in Portugal
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Portugal: 1.41 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Portugal are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Portugal: 24.9% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Portugal hosts 46% more refugees per resident than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Portugal: 6.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Portugal has produced 1.9 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Portugal: 1.9 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Portugal 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Portugal: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Portugal’s economy is 3.8 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Portugal: $347 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Portugal produces 28 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Portugal: Int$53,146 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Portugal (Gini 10.8 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Portugal: 33.9 (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 0.4% in Portugal
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Portugal: 0.4% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.2% in Portugal, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Portugal: 6.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Portugal and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Portugal: 1.7% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Portugal’s central government collects 22% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Portugal: 22.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Portugal’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Portugal: 60% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Portugal spends 127 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Portugal: $2,971 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Portugal live 20 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Portugal: 82.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 21 times as likely to die before turning one as in Portugal
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Portugal: 2.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Portugal has 28 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Portugal: 5.9 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · Portugal: 3.5 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 2.1 times that in Portugal
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 8.6 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
23% of adults in Portugal are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Portugal: 23% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
29% of adults in Portugal smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Portugal: 28.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Portugal rate their lives 2.27 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Portugal: 6.03 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Portugal drink 8.6 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Portugal: 13.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Portugal has 28 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Portugal: 99.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Portugal has 1,538 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Portugal: 3,553 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 106 more hours a year than in Portugal
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Portugal: 1,735 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Portugal went to school 2.3 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Portugal: 9.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Portugal welcomed 526 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Portugal: 2.71 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
Portugal has 12 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (17 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Portugal: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Portugal has won 32 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Portugal: 32 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
88% of people in Portugal are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Portugal: 88% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Portugal is 4.4 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Portugal: 330 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Portugal have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Portugal: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
61% of people in Portugal live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Portugal: 61% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Portugal has 124 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Portugal: 124 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 44% longer than Portugal’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Portugal: 2,527 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Portugal fly 166 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Portugal: 1.69 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 37% of Portugal
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Portugal: 36.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Portugal emits 63 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Portugal: 3.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 81% in Portugal
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Portugal: 81% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 3.9 times as much fine dust as in Portugal
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Portugal: 10.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Portugal: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.2 times as deadly as in Portugal
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Portugal: 11 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 8.9 °C warmer than Portugal
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 15.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 89% more rain than Portugal
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Portugal: 777 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 Portugal?
The DR Congo is larger. Portugal fits inside the DR Congo 25 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Portugal?
The DR Congo has 10 times as many people as Portugal (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Portugal?
People in Portugal live 20 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 82.4 in Portugal.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Portugal?
Men in Portugal are 5.8 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
