Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Rwanda fits inside the DR Congo 89 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Rwanda: 26,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Rwanda: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 591 m above Rwanda’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Rwanda: 4,519 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 7.7 times as many people as Rwanda.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Rwanda: 14.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Rwanda is 12 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Rwanda: 591 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the DR Congo are 2.6 cm taller than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Rwanda: 166 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Rwanda and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Rwanda: 156.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Rwanda is 3.7 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Rwanda: 19.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 2.3 more children on average than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Rwanda: 3.65 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
4.0% of people in Rwanda are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Rwanda: 4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Rwanda 0.0.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Rwanda: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Rwanda 3.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Rwanda: 3 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The DR Congo’s economy is 5.6 times the size of Rwanda’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Rwanda: $16.4 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Rwanda produces 2.2 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Rwanda: Int$4,164 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Rwanda (Gini 5.3 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Rwanda: 39.4 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 11% in Rwanda, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Rwanda: 11.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Rwanda and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Rwanda: 1.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Rwanda’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Rwanda: 27% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Rwanda spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Rwanda: $53 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Rwanda live 5.9 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Rwanda: 68 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 92% more likely to die before turning one than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Rwanda: 29.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The DR Congo has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Rwanda.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Rwanda: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
5.9% of adults in the DR Congo are obese, versus 5.2% in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Rwanda: 5.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 10% in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Rwanda: 10.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the DR Congo rate their lives 0.49 points higher than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Rwanda: 3.27 (2021)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Rwanda drink 2.6 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Rwanda: 4.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Rwanda has 84% more meat per person than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Rwanda: 6.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Rwanda has 390 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Rwanda: 2,405 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 257 more hours a year than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Rwanda: 1,584 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the DR Congo went to school 2.5 years longer than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Rwanda: 4.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Rwanda welcomed 23 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Rwanda: 0.12 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
32% of people in Rwanda are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Rwanda: 32% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
72% of people in Rwanda have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Rwanda: 72% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 31% in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Rwanda: 31% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Rwanda has 93 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Rwanda: 93 (2024)
How much railway is there?
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Rwanda: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Rwanda fly 10 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Rwanda: 0.11 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 11% of Rwanda.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Rwanda: 11.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Rwanda emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Rwanda: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 50% in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Rwanda: 49.6% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Rwanda carries 1% more fine dust than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Rwanda: 41.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Rwanda: 3.6 per 100k (2020)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 41% deadlier than in Rwanda.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Rwanda: 11.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 4.7 °C warmer than Rwanda.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Rwanda: 20.1°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Rwanda gets 6% more rain than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Rwanda: 1,553 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Rwanda?
The DR Congo is larger. Rwanda fits inside the DR Congo 89 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Rwanda?
The DR Congo has 7.7 times as many people as Rwanda (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Rwanda?
People in Rwanda live 5.9 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 68.0 in Rwanda.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Rwanda?
Men in the DR Congo are 2.6 cm taller than in Rwanda (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
