World median is the middle country on each statistic: half of all countries with data are above it, half below. It is not an average, so it is never pulled up or down by giants or microstates.
Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
The median country fits inside the DR Congo 21 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · World median: 111,370 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
The median country’s coastline is 12 times as long as the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · World median: 440 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,775 m above the median country’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · World median: 2,335 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 38% of the median country, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · World median: 37.8% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 15 times as many people as the median country
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · World median: 7.4 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The median country is 2 times as densely populated as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · World median: 98 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the median country are 4.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · World median: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the median country are 4.3 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · World median: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the median country is 15 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · World median: 31.1 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.1 more children on average than in the median country
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · World median: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.6% of people in the median country are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · World median: 8.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 5.4 times as many refugees per resident as the median country
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · World median: 0.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the median country none
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · World median: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, the median country 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · World median: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The DR Congo’s economy is 2 times the size of the median country’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · World median: $45.5 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The median country produces 11 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · World median: Int$21,072 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in the median country (Gini 10.3 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · World median: 34.4 (2023)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in the median country
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · World median: 1.6% (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.1% in the median country, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · World median: 5.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The median country and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · World median: 1.8% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
The median country’s central government collects 17% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · World median: 17% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The median country’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× the DR Congo’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · World median: 45% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The median country spends 20 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · World median: $470 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the median country live 13 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · World median: 74.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 4.5 times as likely to die before turning one as in the median country
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · World median: 12.7 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The median country has 8.1 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · World median: 1.7 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
DR Congo: no data · World median: 2.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in the DR Congo is 80% higher than in the median country
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · World median: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
24% of adults in the median country are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · World median: 24% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
19% of adults in the median country smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · World median: 19% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the median country rate their lives 2.07 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · World median: 5.83 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in the median country drink 2.7 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · World median: 4.3 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The median country has 16 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · World median: 56.2 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The median country has 923 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · World median: 2,938 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the median country put in 133 more hours a year than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · World median: 1,974 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the median country went to school 2.6 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · World median: 9.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The median country welcomed 67 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · World median: 0.34 (2024)
How many World Heritage sites?
The DR Congo has 2 more World Heritage sites than the median country (5 against 3)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · World median: 3 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
The median country has won 4 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · World median: 4 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
82% of people in the median country are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · World median: 82% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the median country is 2.1 times as fast as in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · World median: 161 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in the median country have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · World median: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
64% of people in the median country live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · World median: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
The median country has 115 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · World median: 115 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 70% longer than the median country’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · World median: 2,141 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the median country fly 23 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · World median: 0.24 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 33% of the median country
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · World median: 32.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the median country emits 55 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · World median: 3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 31% in the median country
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · World median: 30.8% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in the median country
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · World median: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · World median: 2.3 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 27% deadlier than in the median country
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · World median: 18.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 1.9 °C warmer than the median country
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 23°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 45% more rain than the median country
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · World median: 1,014 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than the median country?
The DR Congo is larger. The median country fits inside the DR Congo 21 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or the median country?
The DR Congo has 15 times as many people as the median country (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or the median country?
People in the median country live 13 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 74.6 in the median country.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or the median country?
Men in the median country are 4.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
