Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in China instead of Democratic Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 14.3 years longer

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022. In China, that number is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020.

Economy

make 14.7 times more money

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in China, the GDP per capita is $22,100 as of 2023.

Life

be 95.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 547.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In China, 23.0 women do as of 2020.

be 21.0% more likely to be literate

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.0% as of 2021. In China, it is 96.8% as of 2018.

be 88.9% less likely to die during infancy

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 60.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In China, on the other hand, 6.8 children do as of 2022.

have 74.0% fewer children

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 39.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In China, there are 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 4.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 22% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In China, 100% of the population do as of 2022.

be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 23.2% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In China, about 73.0% do as of 2021.

be 60.1% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Democratic Republic of the Congo, approximately 59% of people have improved drinking water access (89% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2020. In China, that number is 95% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 33.3% more on education

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. China spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 36.6% more on healthcare

Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 4.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In China, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 391.9 times more coastline

Democratic Republic of the Congo has a total of 37 km of coastline. In China, that number is 14,500 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

China: At a glance

China (sometimes abbreviated PRC) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 9,326,410 sq km. For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the communists under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically and the room for personal choice has expanded, yet political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
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How big is China compared to Democratic Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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