Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
South Sudan fits inside the DR Congo 3.6 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · South Sudan: 646,883 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,923 m above South Sudan’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · South Sudan: 3,187 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 9.3 times as many people as South Sudan.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · South Sudan: 12.2 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 2.6 times as densely populated as South Sudan.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · South Sudan: 19 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How tall are the women?
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · South Sudan: no data
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in South Sudan is 2.2 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · South Sudan: 18 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 2.2 more children on average than in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · South Sudan: 3.79 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
The DR Congo and South Sudan are practically level.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · South Sudan: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, South Sudan 0.0.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · South Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, South Sudan 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · South Sudan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The DR Congo’s economy is 7.6 times the size of South Sudan’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · South Sudan: $12 billion (2015)
How much is produced per person?
The DR Congo produces 66% more per person than South Sudan.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · South Sudan: Int$1,155 (2015)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in South Sudan (Gini 0.7 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · South Sudan: 44 (2016)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 12% in South Sudan, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · South Sudan: 12.4% (2023)
How much goes to the military?
South Sudan spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · South Sudan: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
South Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 2.2× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · South Sudan: 94% (2015)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
South Sudan spends 3.1 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · South Sudan: $73 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the DR Congo live 4.3 years longer than in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · South Sudan: 57.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in South Sudan is 27% more likely to die before turning one than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · South Sudan: 71.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The DR Congo has 5.1 times as many doctors per person as South Sudan.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · South Sudan: 0.041 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
8.2% of adults in South Sudan are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · South Sudan: 8.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · South Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the DR Congo rate their lives 0.94 points higher than in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · South Sudan: 2.82 (2019)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 3.9 times as much alcohol as in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · South Sudan: 0.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
South Sudan has 6.1 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · South Sudan: 21.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
South Sudan has 376 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · South Sudan: 2,391 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · South Sudan: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the DR Congo went to school 1.6 years longer than in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · South Sudan: 5.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · South Sudan: no data
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
20% of people in the DR Congo are online, versus 6.7% in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · South Sudan: 7% (2019)
Who has electricity at home?
23% of people in the DR Congo have electricity, versus 5.4% in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · South Sudan: 5.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 22% in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · South Sudan: 22% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The DR Congo has 59 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, South Sudan 47.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · South Sudan: 47 (2023)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 15 times as long as South Sudan’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · South Sudan: 248 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · South Sudan: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 11% of South Sudan.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · South Sudan: 11.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in South Sudan emits 2.6 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · South Sudan: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.8% in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · South Sudan: 1.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 71% more fine dust than in South Sudan.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · South Sudan: 24.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in South Sudan are 43% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · South Sudan: 23.3 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
South Sudan is on average 3.8 °C warmer than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 28.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 87% more rain than South Sudan.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · South Sudan: 785 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than South Sudan?
The DR Congo is larger. South Sudan fits inside the DR Congo 3.6 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or South Sudan?
The DR Congo has 9.3 times as many people as South Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or South Sudan?
People in the DR Congo live 4.3 years longer than in South Sudan. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 57.7 in South Sudan.
