Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Romania fits inside the DR Congo 9.8 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Romania: 238,400 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Romania’s coastline is 6.1 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Romania: 225 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,566 m above Romania’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Romania: 2,544 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 5.9 times as many people as Romania.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Romania: 19 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Romania is 66% more densely populated than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Romania: 83 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Romania are 9.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Romania: 177.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Romania are 8.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Romania: 164.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Romania is 27 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Romania: 42.6 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.6 more children on average than in Romania.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Romania: 1.39 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in Romania are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Romania: 20.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Romania has produced 2.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Romania: 2.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Romania 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Romania: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Romania’s economy is 4.7 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Romania: $429 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Romania produces 27 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Romania: Int$50,895 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Romania (Gini 14.9 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Romania: 29.8 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.0% in Romania, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Romania: 6% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Romania spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Romania: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Romania’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Romania: 44% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Romania spends 45 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Romania: $1,051 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Romania live 14 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Romania: 76.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 9.4 times as likely to die before turning one as in Romania.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Romania: 6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Romania has 17 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Romania: 3.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
38% of adults in Romania are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Romania: 37.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
30% of adults in Romania smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Romania: 29.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Romania rate their lives 2.87 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Romania: 6.63 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Romania drink 11 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Romania: 17.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Romania has 21 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Romania: 72.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Romania has 1,634 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Romania: 3,649 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 15 more hours a year than in Romania.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Romania: 1,826 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Romania went to school 4.2 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Romania: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Romania welcomed 136 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Romania: 0.7 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
91% of people in Romania are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Romania: 91% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Romania have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Romania: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
52% of people in Romania live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Romania: 52% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Romania has 120 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Romania: 120 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Romania’s railway network is 3 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Romania: 10,769 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Romania fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Romania: 0.15 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 30% of Romania.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Romania: 30.1% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Romania emits 67 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Romania: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 47% in Romania.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Romania: 47% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in Romania.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Romania: 14.3 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Romania: 1.1 per 100k (2024)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 70% deadlier than in Romania.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Romania: 9.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 13.8 °C warmer than Romania.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 11°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 94% more rain than Romania.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Romania: 758 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Romania?
The DR Congo is larger. Romania fits inside the DR Congo 9.8 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Romania?
The DR Congo has 5.9 times as many people as Romania (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Romania?
People in Romania live 14 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 76.5 in Romania.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Romania?
Men in Romania are 9.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
