Which has more people, DR Congo or South Africa?

DR Congo has a population of 116,452,162 (15th of 235 countries) and South Africa has 65,453,084 (24th of 235).

How do DR Congo and South Africa compare on Life Expectancy at Birth (Years)?

Life Expectancy at Birth (Years): DR Congo 62.1 (203rd of 215), South Africa 66.3 (181st of 215) among countries. South Africa ranks better.

How do DR Congo and South Africa compare on GDP per Person at PPP (International $)?

GDP per Person at PPP (International $): DR Congo $1,920 (179th of 184), South Africa $15,906 (108th of 184) among countries. South Africa ranks better.

Where does DR Congo beat South Africa most clearly?

DR Congo ranks far ahead on CO₂ Emissions per $1K GDP (CO₂ Emissions by Country): 0.04 tonnes/$1kGDP vs 0.51 tonnes/$1kGDP; Unemployment Rate - ILO (Unemployment by Country): 1.5% vs 28.8%; Real GDP Growth (Fastest Growing Economies): 6.3% vs 0.1%.

Where does South Africa beat DR Congo most clearly?

South Africa ranks far ahead on Parliamentary Representation of Women (Most Dangerous Countries for Women): 44.7% vs 13.5%; EIU Political Participation Score (Democracy Index by Country): 7.78 vs 2.78; Access Tt Justice (0-4) (Most Dangerous Countries for Women): 3.3 vs 1.3.

DR Congo vs South Africa

South Africa comes out ahead of DR Congo on 262 of 449 statistics where one end is better, to 183 with 4 ties. DR Congo leads on Health, Environment and Manufacturing & Mining and 1 more category. South Africa leads on Tech & Business, Politics & Government and Law and 6 more categories.

449 statistics with a better end, compared

Each counts once for the place that ranks better; 4 ties. Totals that mostly track population are left out.

DR Congo

Wins: 183
Avg. percentile: 37
Categories led: 4

South Africa

Wins: 262
Avg. percentile: 41
Categories led: 9

At a glance

Headline statistics, each ranked among all countries.

Statistic	DR Congo	South Africa
Population	116,452,162 15th of 235	65,453,084 24th of 235
Life Expectancy at Birth (Years)Health Indicators by Country (World Bank)	62.1 203rd of 215	66.3 181st of 215
GDP per Person at PPP (International $)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)	$1,920 179th of 184	$15,906 108th of 184
Unemployment Rate (%)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)	4.43% 73rd of 181	32.4% 180th of 181
Access to Electricity (% of People)Development Indicators by Country (World Bank)	22.5% 208th of 214	90.2% 160th of 214
Infant Deaths per 1,000 BirthsHealth Indicators by Country (World Bank)	56.4 187th of 195	24.2 138th of 195
GDP per Person (US$)Economic Indicators by Country (World Bank)	$807 178th of 185	$6,598 103rd of 185

By category

Average percentile on each category's widely ranked statistics.

Tech & BusinessSouth Africa · 7 statistics
Politics & GovernmentSouth Africa · 40 statistics
LawSouth Africa · 6 statistics
PopulationSouth Africa · 19 statistics
TravelSouth Africa · 10 statistics
EducationSouth Africa · 8 statistics
Infrastructure & EnergySouth Africa · 34 statistics
CultureSouth Africa · 63 statistics
HealthDR Congo · 199 statistics
EconomicsSouth Africa · 69 statistics
EnvironmentDR Congo · 43 statistics
Manufacturing & MiningDR Congo · 3 statistics
Crime & SafetyDR Congo · 45 statistics

Biggest differences

The 30 statistics where their rankings differ most, among rankings of at least 118 countries.

Statistic	DR Congo	South Africa
CO₂ Emissions per $1K GDPCO₂ Emissions by Country	0.04 tonnes/$1kGDP tied 3rd of 198	0.51 tonnes/$1kGDP tied 189th of 198
Unemployment Rate - ILOUnemployment by Country	1.5% tied 11th of 155	28.8% 154th of 155
Real GDP GrowthFastest Growing Economies	6.3% 8th of 189	0.1% 178th of 189
Total ScoreWater Stress by Country	0.01 tied 1st of 149	4.17 128th of 149
Female Obesity Rate (WHO)Obesity Rates by Country	8.14% 12th of 196	47.6% 173rd of 196
CO₂ Emissions per CapitaCO₂ Emissions by Country	0.06 t/cap tied 2nd of 206	7.19 t/cap 171st of 206
Female Obesity Rate (GOO)Obesity Rates by Country	3.4% 7th of 199	41.0% tied 165th of 199
GDP Growth WBGDP Growth by Country	8.6% tied 4th of 190	0.7% tied 153rd of 190
Parliamentary Representation of WomenMost Dangerous Countries for Women	13.5% 169th of 197	44.7% 16th of 197
Water Stress RankWater Stress by Country	149th 16th best of 163	22nd 22nd worst of 163
CO2 Emissions per Person (Tonnes)Development Indicators by Country (World Bank)	0.06 11th of 203	6.88 168th of 203
Total GHG Emissions per CapitaGreenhouse Gas Emissions by Country	0.57 t CO₂eq/cap 3rd of 206	8.61 t CO₂eq/cap 162nd of 206
Water Scarcity RankingCountries with Water Scarcity	148th 17th best of 163	22nd 22nd worst of 163
Planet and Climate Rank GCI v1.6Good Country Index by Country	22nd 22nd of 171	156th 153rd of 171
EIU Political Participation ScoreDemocracy Index by Country	2.78 tied 141st of 165	7.78 tied 18th of 165
Domestic ScoreWater Stress by Country	0.02 tied 2nd of 149	3.34 113th of 149
Access Tt Justice (0-4)Most Dangerous Countries for Women	1.3 tied 174th of 198	3.3 tied 29th of 198
Patent Grants (Abroad) 1980-2022Inventions by Country	8 tied 167th of 192	16,588 28th of 192
EIU Function of Govt ScoreDemocracy Index by Country	0.43 tied 150th of 153	6.79 tied 38th of 153
Mean BMIEuropean Obesity Rates by Country	22.0 kg/m² 11th of 190	27.3 kg/m² tied 147th of 190
GDP Growth IMFGDP Growth by Country	5% tied 34th of 189	1.5% tied 170th of 189
LP Investment EnvironmentLegatum Prosperity Index	166th 166th of 167	48th 48th of 167
Renewable Energy Consumption as % of Total ConsumptionRenewable Energy by Country	96.3% 1st of 206	9.7% tied 146th of 206
Freedom & ChoiceSocial Progress Index by Country	39.85 159th of 167	79 42nd of 167
Patent Grants AbroadInventions by Country	1 tied last of 149	461 35th of 149
Drought Risk Score (Statista)Droughts by Country	1.8 tied 41st of 157	4.44 tied 152nd of 157
Women’s Employment 2011 to 2016Most Dangerous Countries for Women	77.2% tied 16th of 169	42.6% 134th of 169
Death Rate Due to Cocaine Use Disorder (GBD)Most Cocaine Use by Country	0.01 tied 1st of 179	0.15 tied 139th of 179
EIU Democracy Index Overall ScoreDemocracy Index by Country	1.92 tied 156th of 167	7.16 41st of 167
Debt to GDP RatioDebt to GDP Ratio by Country	19.3% tied 10th of 158	76.9% tied 119th of 158

See every statistic they shareSearch and sort all of them, adjust for cost of living or population, or add up to two more places.

Quick answers

Which is better, DR Congo or South Africa?: South Africa comes out ahead of DR Congo on 262 of 449 statistics where one end is better, to 183 with 4 ties. DR Congo leads on Health, Environment and Manufacturing & Mining and 1 more category. South Africa leads on Tech & Business, Politics & Government and Law and 6 more categories. Statistics where neither end is better, and totals that mostly track population, are not counted.
Which has more people, DR Congo or South Africa?: DR Congo has a population of 116,452,162 (15th of 235 countries) and South Africa has 65,453,084 (24th of 235).
How do DR Congo and South Africa compare on Life Expectancy at Birth (Years)?: Life Expectancy at Birth (Years): DR Congo 62.1 (203rd of 215), South Africa 66.3 (181st of 215) among countries. South Africa ranks better.
How do DR Congo and South Africa compare on GDP per Person at PPP (International $)?: GDP per Person at PPP (International $): DR Congo $1,920 (179th of 184), South Africa $15,906 (108th of 184) among countries. South Africa ranks better.
Where does DR Congo beat South Africa most clearly?: DR Congo ranks far ahead on CO₂ Emissions per $1K GDP (CO₂ Emissions by Country): 0.04 tonnes/$1kGDP vs 0.51 tonnes/$1kGDP; Unemployment Rate - ILO (Unemployment by Country): 1.5% vs 28.8%; Real GDP Growth (Fastest Growing Economies): 6.3% vs 0.1%.
Where does South Africa beat DR Congo most clearly?: South Africa ranks far ahead on Parliamentary Representation of Women (Most Dangerous Countries for Women): 44.7% vs 13.5%; EIU Political Participation Score (Democracy Index by Country): 7.78 vs 2.78; Access Tt Justice (0-4) (Most Dangerous Countries for Women): 3.3 vs 1.3.

More matchups

Other comparisons with DR Congo or South Africa.

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