Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Zambia fits inside the DR Congo 3.1 times
DR Congo: 2,345,410 km² (2024) · Zambia: 752,612 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Zambia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 2,780 m above Zambia’s
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Zambia: 2,330 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 32% of Zambia, versus 16% of the DR Congo
DR Congo: 16.2% (2024) · Zambia: 32.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 5.1 times as many people as Zambia
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Zambia: 21.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 69% more densely populated than Zambia
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Zambia: 29 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.0 cm taller than in Zambia
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Zambia: 167.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Zambia are 1.0 cm taller than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Zambia: 157.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Zambia is 1.7 years older than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Zambia: 17.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 1.9 more children on average than in Zambia
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Zambia: 4.04 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.1% of people in the DR Congo are 65 or older, versus 2.0% in Zambia
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Zambia: 2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
The DR Congo hosts 18% more refugees per resident than Zambia
DR Congo: 4.5 per 1,000 (2025) · Zambia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The DR Congo has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Zambia none
DR Congo: 0.1 (2026) · Zambia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Zambia 1
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The DR Congo’s economy is 3.2 times the size of Zambia’s
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Zambia: $28.9 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Zambia produces 2.3 times as much per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Zambia: Int$4,379 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Zambia than in the DR Congo (Gini 6.8 points higher)
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Zambia: 51.5 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
85% of people in the DR Congo live on less than $3 a day, versus 72% in Zambia
DR Congo: 85.3% (2020) · Zambia: 71.7% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Zambia, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Zambia: 5.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The DR Congo and Zambia are practically level
DR Congo: 1.4% (2025) · Zambia: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Zambia’s central government collects 19% of GDP in tax, the DR Congo’s 11%
DR Congo: 10.7% (2022) · Zambia: 18.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
The DR Congo’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Zambia’s
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Zambia: 30% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Zambia spends 3.4 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Zambia: $80 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Zambia live 4.5 years longer than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Zambia: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 63% more likely to die before turning one than in Zambia
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Zambia: 34.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Zambia has 56% more doctors per person than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Zambia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Zambia is 15% higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 18 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 20.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Zambia are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Zambia: 10.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
14% of adults in Zambia smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Zambia: 14.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Zambia rate their lives 0.34 points higher than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Zambia: 4.11 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Zambia drink 33% more alcohol than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Zambia: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Zambia has 5.1 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Zambia: 17.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Zambia has 155 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Zambia: 2,170 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zambia put in 359 more hours a year than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Zambia: 2,200 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Zambia and the DR Congo are practically level
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Zambia: 7.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Zambia welcomed 13 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019)
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Zambia: 0.07 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
The DR Congo has 4 more World Heritage sites than Zambia (5 against 1)
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Zambia has won 3 Olympic medals, the DR Congo none
DR Congo: 0 (2026 edition) · Zambia: 3 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
20% of people in the DR Congo are online, versus 17% in Zambia
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Zambia: 17% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in the DR Congo is 8% faster than in Zambia
DR Congo: 75 Mbps (2026) · Zambia: 69 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
54% of people in Zambia have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Zambia: 53.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
46% of people in Zambia live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Zambia: 46% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Zambia has 109 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Zambia: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The DR Congo’s railway network is 2.9 times as long as Zambia’s
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Zambia: 1,248 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Zambia fly 44% more passengers per resident than those from the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Zambia: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 62% of the DR Congo, but only 60% of Zambia
DR Congo: 61.5% (2024) · Zambia: 60.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Zambia emits 10 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Zambia: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 87% in Zambia
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Zambia: 87.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 62% more fine dust than in Zambia
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Zambia: 25.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Zambia: 5.2 per 100k (2015)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Zambia are 6% deadlier than in the DR Congo
DR Congo: 23.7 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 25.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 2.5 °C warmer than Zambia
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Zambia: 22.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 32% more rain than Zambia
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Zambia: 1,116 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Zambia?
The DR Congo is larger. Zambia fits inside the DR Congo 3.1 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Zambia?
The DR Congo has 5.1 times as many people as Zambia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Zambia?
People in Zambia live 4.5 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 66.5 in Zambia.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Zambia?
Men in the DR Congo are 1.0 cm taller than in Zambia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
