The duel
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The DR Congo fits inside the United States 4.2 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 538 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 1,080 m above the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 3 times as many people as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · United States: 342 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 33% more densely populated than the United States.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · United States: 37 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 8.3 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · United States: 176.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 7.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · United States: 163.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 22 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · United States: 38 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.4 more children on average than in the United States.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · United States: 18.4% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · United States: 8.7 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, the United States 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · United States: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 338 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · United States: $30.8 trillion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 47 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · United States: Int$90,027 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in the United States (Gini 2.9 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · United States: 41.8 (2024)
How many people are looking for work?
The DR Congo and the United States are practically level.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · United States: 4.2% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · United States: 3.4% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 2.4× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · United States: 100% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 575 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · United States: $13,473 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 17 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · United States: 78.9 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 10 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 18 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · United States: 41.8% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in the United States smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · United States: 15.8% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 3.05 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · United States: 6.82 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the United States drink 6 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · United States: 9.6 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 35 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · United States: 122.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 1,933 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · United States: 3,947 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 52 more hours a year than in the United States.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · United States: 1,789 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 6.5 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · United States: 13.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 41 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · United States: 0.21 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · United States: 95% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the United States have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · United States: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · United States: 80% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The United States has 113 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · United States: 113 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 41 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · United States: 148,553 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 270 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · United States: 2.75 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 34% of the United States.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · United States: 33.9% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 263 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · United States: 14.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · United States: 25.6% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 5.5 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 15% deadlier than in the United States.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 14.5 °C warmer than the United States.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 73% more rain than the United States.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than the United States?
The United States is larger. The DR Congo fits inside the United States 4.2 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or the United States?
The United States has 3 times as many people as the DR Congo (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or the United States?
People in the United States live 17 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 78.9 in the United States.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or the United States?
Men in the United States are 8.3 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
