Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Democratic Republic of the Congo instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
live 21.1 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 83 years (80 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 62 years (60 years for men, 64 years for women) as of 2022.
be 42.6% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 4.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 6.7% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 97.0% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $50,600 as of 2023, while in Democratic Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $1,500 as of 2023.
be 72.0% more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.5% as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In South Korea, 14.4% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, that number is 63.0% as of 2014.
Life
have 5.7 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, there are 39.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 68.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 8.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 547.0 women do as of 2020.
be 18.4% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is 80.0% as of 2021.
be 21.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 60.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 78.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 22% of the population do as of 2022.
be 76.3% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 98.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, about 23.2% do as of 2021.
be 40.5% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, 59% of people do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 42.6% less on education
South Korea spends 4.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Democratic Republic of the Congo spends 2.7% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 51.2% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 4.1% of GDP as of 2020.
Geography
see 98.5% less coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Democratic Republic of the Congo, that number is 37 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Democratic Republic of the Congo: At a glance
How big is Democratic Republic of the Congo compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.