Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside the DR Congo 7.1 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 93 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 1,966 m above Vietnam’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 11% more people than Vietnam.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 6.5 times as densely populated as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Vietnam and the DR Congo are practically level.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Vietnam are 2.1 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 17 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.1 more children on average than in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Vietnam 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 5.7 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 9.4 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Vietnam (Gini 8.6 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.4% in the DR Congo, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 1.8% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× Vietnam’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 8.4 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vietnam live 13 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 4.7 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 5.3 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
5.9% of adults in the DR Congo are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 2.67 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 6.7 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 17 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Vietnam has 1,071 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 320 more hours a year than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 1.6 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 16 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
45% of people in the DR Congo live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 15% longer than Vietnam’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 53 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of the DR Congo, but only 47% of Vietnam.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 68 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 61% more fine dust than in Vietnam.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 9% deadlier than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 0.5 °C warmer than Vietnam.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 45% more rain than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Vietnam?
The DR Congo is larger. Vietnam fits inside the DR Congo 7.1 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Vietnam?
The DR Congo has 11% more people than Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Vietnam?
People in Vietnam live 13 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Vietnam?
Vietnam and the DR Congo are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
