The duel
- 24× The United Arab Emirates fits inside the DR Congo 24 times
- 9.8× The DR Congo has 9.8 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates
- +21 years People in the United Arab Emirates live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo
- 41× The United Arab Emirates produces 41 times as much per person as the DR Congo
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Arab Emirates fits inside the DR Congo 24 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 98,648 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Arab Emirates’ coastline is 36 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,318 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 3,205 m above the United Arab Emirates’.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · United Arab Emirates: 1,905 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 9.8 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 11.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Arab Emirates is 3.3 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 162 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 5.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 174.1 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Arab Emirates are 4.2 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 160.5 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Arab Emirates is 15 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 31.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.8 more children on average than in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 1.21 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.1% of people in the DR Congo are 65 or older, versus 1.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 1.8% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the United Arab Emirates none.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, the United Arab Emirates 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · United Arab Emirates: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Arab Emirates’ economy is 6.1 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · United Arab Emirates: $552 billion (2024)
How much is produced per person?
The United Arab Emirates produces 41 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: Int$79,344 (2024)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in the United Arab Emirates (Gini 18.3 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · United Arab Emirates: 26.4 (2018)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 2.2% in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 2.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Arab Emirates spends 5.6% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 5.6% (2014)
How expensive is it?
The United Arab Emirates’ price level (US = 100) is 1.5× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 63% (2024)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Arab Emirates spends 102 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: $2,402 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 83.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 15 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 3.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Arab Emirates has 14 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · United Arab Emirates: 3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
30% of adults in the United Arab Emirates are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 30.3% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
12% of adults in the DR Congo smoke, versus 9.0% in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 9% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Arab Emirates rate their lives 3.06 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the DR Congo drink 2.5 times as much alcohol as in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 0.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Arab Emirates has 19 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 67.8 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Arab Emirates has 1,110 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 3,125 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the United Arab Emirates put in 673 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 2,514 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Arab Emirates went to school 5.6 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 13 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Arab Emirates welcomed 443 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · United Arab Emirates: 2.28 (2019)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Arab Emirates have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
86% of people in the United Arab Emirates live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · United Arab Emirates: 86% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Arab Emirates has 203 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 203 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 13 times as long as the United Arab Emirates’.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 279 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Arab Emirates fly 776 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 7.91 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 4.5% of the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · United Arab Emirates: 4.5% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Arab Emirates emits 373 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 20.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 8.8% in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 8.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the United Arab Emirates carries 35% more fine dust than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Arab Emirates: 55.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · United Arab Emirates: 0.7 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 2.8 times as deadly as in the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · United Arab Emirates: 5.9 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The United Arab Emirates is on average 4.0 °C warmer than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 28.8°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 31 times as much rain as the United Arab Emirates.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Arab Emirates: 47 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than the United Arab Emirates?
The DR Congo is larger. The United Arab Emirates fits inside the DR Congo 24 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or the United Arab Emirates?
The DR Congo has 9.8 times as many people as the United Arab Emirates (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or the United Arab Emirates?
People in the United Arab Emirates live 21 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 83.1 in the United Arab Emirates.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or the United Arab Emirates?
Men in the United Arab Emirates are 5.5 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
