Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo is 92% bigger than South Africa.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · South Africa: 1,219,090 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
South Africa’s coastline is 76 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · South Africa: 2,798 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,660 m above South Africa’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · South Africa: 3,450 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 74% more people than South Africa.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · South Africa: 64.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Africa is 7% more densely populated than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · South Africa: 53 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Africa are 1.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · South Africa: 169.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Africa are 2.3 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · South Africa: 158.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Africa is 12 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · South Africa: 28.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 3.8 more children on average than in South Africa.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · South Africa: 2.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
6.9% of people in South Africa are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · South Africa: 6.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Africa has produced 1.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · South Africa: 1.4 (2025)
How many official languages?
South Africa has 11 official languages, the DR Congo 5.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · South Africa: 11 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Africa’s economy is 4.7 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · South Africa: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Africa produces 8.3 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · South Africa: Int$15,906 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in South Africa than in the DR Congo (Gini 9.4 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · South Africa: 54.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 32% in South Africa, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · South Africa: 32.4% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo spends 1.2% of its GDP on the military, South Africa 0.7%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · South Africa: 0.7% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1× South Africa’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · South Africa: 41% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Africa spends 23 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · South Africa: $537 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in South Africa live 4.2 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · South Africa: 66.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 2.3 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Africa.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Africa: 24.2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Africa has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Africa: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
31% of adults in South Africa are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · South Africa: 31.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
24% of adults in South Africa smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · South Africa: 23.7% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Africa rate their lives 1.25 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · South Africa: 5.01 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Africa drink 5.4 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · South Africa: 8.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Africa has 17 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · South Africa: 58.3 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Africa has 679 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · South Africa: 2,694 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Africa put in 340 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · South Africa: 2,181 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Africa went to school 4.2 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · South Africa: 11.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Africa welcomed 27 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · South Africa: 0.14 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
78% of people in South Africa are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · South Africa: 78% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
90% of people in South Africa have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · South Africa: 90.2% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in South Africa live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · South Africa: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Africa has 179 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · South Africa: 179 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Africa’s railway network is 5.8 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · South Africa: 20,953 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Africa fly 23 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · South Africa: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 14% of South Africa.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · South Africa: 14% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Africa emits 127 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · South Africa: 6.9 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 14% in South Africa.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · South Africa: 13.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 69% more fine dust than in South Africa.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Africa: 24.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · South Africa: 43.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Africa are 50% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · South Africa: 24.5 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 6.4 °C warmer than South Africa.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 18.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 2.9 times as much rain as South Africa.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Africa: 511 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than South Africa?
The DR Congo is larger. The DR Congo is 92% bigger than South Africa.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or South Africa?
The DR Congo has 74% more people than South Africa (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or South Africa?
People in South Africa live 4.2 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 66.3 in South Africa.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or South Africa?
Men in South Africa are 1.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
Keep duelling
DR Congo vs Angola 
DR Congo vs Burundi 
DR Congo vs Central African Republic 
DR Congo vs Congo 
DR Congo vs Rwanda 
DR Congo vs South Sudan 
South Africa vs Botswana 
South Africa vs Lesotho 
South Africa vs Mozambique 
South Africa vs Namibia 
South Africa vs Eswatini 
South Africa vs Zimbabwe 
The DR Congo vs the world → South Africa vs the world →