The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The United Kingdom fits inside the DR Congo 9.6 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 336 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 3,765 m above the United Kingdom’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 62% more people than the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The United Kingdom is 5.8 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.6 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 7.6 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 24 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.4 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, the United Kingdom 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · United Kingdom: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 44 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 34 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in the United Kingdom (Gini 12.3 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021)
How many people are looking for work?
The United Kingdom and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom spends 2.3% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · United Kingdom: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 250 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 19 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 14 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 16 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
13% of adults in the United Kingdom smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 2.93 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United Kingdom drink 6.5 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 24 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 1,420 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 318 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 6.1 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 107 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · United Kingdom: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United Kingdom have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · United Kingdom: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · United Kingdom: 83% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United Kingdom has 122 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · United Kingdom: 122 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 4.4 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 168 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 84 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 52% in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · United Kingdom: 52% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 4.7 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 6.8 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 14.9 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 37% more rain than the United Kingdom.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than the United Kingdom?
The DR Congo is larger. The United Kingdom fits inside the DR Congo 9.6 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or the United Kingdom?
The DR Congo has 62% more people than the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or the United Kingdom?
People in the United Kingdom live 19 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 81.4 in the United Kingdom.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or the United Kingdom?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.6 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
