Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo is 25% bigger than Sudan.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Sudan: 1,878,000 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sudan’s coastline is 23 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Sudan: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,068 m above Sudan’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Sudan: 3,042 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 2.2 times as many people as Sudan.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Sudan: 51.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 80% more densely populated than Sudan.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Sudan: 28 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sudan are 3.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Sudan: 172.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sudan are 4.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Sudan: 160.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sudan is 2.5 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Sudan: 18.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 1.7 more children on average than in Sudan.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Sudan: 4.26 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Sudan and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Sudan: 3.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Sudan 0.0.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Sudan: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Sudan 2.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Sudan: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The DR Congo’s economy is 51% larger than Sudan’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Sudan: $60.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sudan produces 14% more per person than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Sudan: Int$2,192 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Sudan (Gini 10.5 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Sudan: 34.2 (2014)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 7.5% in Sudan, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Sudan: 7.5% (2022)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and Sudan are practically level.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Sudan: 0.9% (2021)
How expensive is it?
Sudan’s price level (US = 100) is 1.3× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Sudan: 53% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The DR Congo spends 11% more on health per person than Sudan.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Sudan: $21 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Sudan live 4.4 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Sudan: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 31% more likely to die before turning one than in Sudan.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sudan: 42.9 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sudan has 20% more doctors per person than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sudan: 0.3 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is obesity?
16% of adults in Sudan are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Sudan: 16.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Sudan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sudan rate their lives 0.38 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Sudan: 4.14 (2017)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 14% more alcohol than in Sudan.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Sudan: 1.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sudan has 5.3 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Sudan: 18.4 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Sudan has 499 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Sudan: 2,513 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Workers in Sudan put in 817 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Sudan: 2,658 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the DR Congo went to school 3.4 years longer than in Sudan.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Sudan: 4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sudan welcomed 3.7 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Sudan: 0.02 (2018)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
20% of people in the DR Congo are online, versus 19% in Sudan.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Sudan: 19% (2017)
Who has electricity at home?
66% of people in Sudan have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Sudan: 66% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 35% in Sudan.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Sudan: 35% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sudan has 70 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Sudan: 70 (2022)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 33% longer than Sudan’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Sudan: 2,747 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sudan fly 73% more passengers per resident than those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Sudan: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 9.6% of Sudan.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Sudan: 9.6% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sudan emits 6.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Sudan: 0.4 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 80% in Sudan.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Sudan: 79.7% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 43% more fine dust than in Sudan.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sudan: 28.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Sudan are 20% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Sudan: 19.6 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Sudan is on average 2.9 °C warmer than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 27.7°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 8.6 times as much rain as Sudan.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sudan: 171 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Sudan?
The DR Congo is larger. The DR Congo is 25% bigger than Sudan.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Sudan?
The DR Congo has 2.2 times as many people as Sudan (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Sudan?
People in Sudan live 4.4 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 66.5 in Sudan.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Sudan?
Men in Sudan are 3.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
