Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Korea fits inside the DR Congo 23 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · South Korea: 100,460 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
South Korea’s coastline is 65 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · South Korea: 2,413 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 3,160 m above South Korea’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · South Korea: 1,950 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
The DR Congo and South Korea are practically level
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · South Korea: 16% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 2.2 times as many people as South Korea
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · South Korea: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
South Korea is 11 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · South Korea: 530 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in South Korea are 6.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · South Korea: 175.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in South Korea are 6.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · South Korea: 163.2 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Korea is 29 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · South Korea: 44.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 5.2 more children on average than in South Korea
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · South Korea: 0.75 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in South Korea are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · South Korea: 20.3% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 52 times as many refugees per resident as South Korea
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · South Korea: 0.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
South Korea has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · South Korea: 0.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, South Korea 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · South Korea: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
South Korea’s economy is 21 times the size of the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · South Korea: $1.87 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
South Korea produces 33 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · South Korea: Int$63,125 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in South Korea (Gini 11.8 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · South Korea: 32.9 (2021)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.1% in South Korea
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · South Korea: 0.1% (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 2.7% in South Korea
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · South Korea: 2.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
South Korea spends 2.6% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.4%
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · South Korea: 2.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
South Korea’s central government collects 13% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · South Korea: 13.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Korea’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · South Korea: 57% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Korea spends 134 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · South Korea: $3,137 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in South Korea live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · South Korea: 83.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 25 times as likely to die before turning one as in South Korea
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Korea: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
South Korea has 13 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Korea: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · South Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in South Korea is 30% higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 23.4 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
7.5% of adults in South Korea are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · South Korea: 7.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in South Korea smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · South Korea: 18.6% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in South Korea rate their lives 2.28 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · South Korea: 6.04 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in South Korea drink 5.2 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · South Korea: 8.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Korea has 24 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · South Korea: 84 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
South Korea has 1,416 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · South Korea: 3,430 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in South Korea put in 69 more hours a year than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · South Korea: 1,910 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in South Korea went to school 5.3 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · South Korea: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
South Korea welcomed 61 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · South Korea: 0.32 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
South Korea has 12 more World Heritage sites than the DR Congo (17 against 5)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · South Korea: 17 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
South Korea has won 409 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · South Korea: 409 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
98% of people in South Korea are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · South Korea: 98% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in South Korea is 4 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · South Korea: 298 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in South Korea have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · South Korea: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
81% of people in South Korea live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · South Korea: 81% (2025)
How many phones per person?
South Korea has 173 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · South Korea: 173 (2024)
How much railway is there?
South Korea’s railway network is 18% longer than the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · South Korea: 4,309 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from South Korea fly 145 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · South Korea: 1.48 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 64% of South Korea, but only 62% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · South Korea: 64.4% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Korea emits 209 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · South Korea: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 10% in South Korea
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · South Korea: 10.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2 times as much fine dust as in South Korea
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Korea: 21 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · South Korea: 0.5 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.7 times as deadly as in South Korea
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · South Korea: 8.7 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 11.7 °C warmer than South Korea
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 13.2°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 16% more rain than South Korea
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Korea: 1,265 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 South Korea?
The DR Congo is larger. South Korea fits inside the DR Congo 23 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or South Korea?
The DR Congo has 2.2 times as many people as South Korea (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or South Korea?
People in South Korea live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 83.6 in South Korea.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or South Korea?
Men in South Korea are 6.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
