DR Congo at its true size
DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km², number 11 of 194 countries by area. Home to 112,832,473 people (2025). Sitting near the equator, it is one of the few places Mercator gets almost right.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 2,344,858 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 112,832,473 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 48 per km² |
| Capital | Kinshasa |
| Local time in Kinshasa | |
| Time zone | UTC+1 · UTC+1 to UTC+2, 2 time zones IANA |
| Currency | Congolese franc (CDF) Wikidata |
| Languages | French |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +243 |
| Codes | CD · COD · 180 |
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Where DR Congo ranks
Among the independent states, in 42 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#15 of 194113 million people#4 of 54 in Africa
- Population density#136 of 19448 people per km²#35 of 54 in Africa
- Urban population#138 of 19245% urban#29 of 54 in Africa
- Fertility rate#3 of 1925.98 births per woman#3 of 54 in Africa
- Population growth#10 of 192+3.20% a year#5 of 54 in Africa
- Birth rate#5 of 19240.9 births per 1,000 people#5 of 54 in Africa
- Death rate#66 of 1928.4 deaths per 1,000 people#14 of 54 in Africa
- Children under 15#5 of 19245.9% under 15#5 of 54 in Africa
- People over 65#166 of 1923.1% aged 65 and over#35 of 54 in Africa
- Net migration#84 of 192−0.2 per 1,000 people#17 of 54 in Africa
- Refugees abroad#18 of 19010.43 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#10 of 54 in Africa
Health & education
- Life expectancy#179 of 19262.1 years#41 of 54 in Africa
- Infant mortality#9 of 19156.4 infant deaths per 1,000 live births#9 of 54 in Africa
- Doctors#147 of 1780.21 doctors per 1,000 people#24 of 51 in Africa
- University enrolment#137 of 1456.4% gross enrolment#23 of 29 in Africa
- Human Development Index#168 of 190an index of 0.522#34 of 54 in Africa
Economy
- GNI per capita#177 of 185$720 a person#46 of 52 in Africa
- Internet users#173 of 18420% online#43 of 52 in Africa
- GDP per capita (PPP)#179 of 184$1,920 a person#47 of 52 in Africa
- GDP growth#35 of 187+5.8% a year#17 of 52 in Africa
- Unemployment#108 of 1784.4% of the labour force#33 of 53 in Africa
- Extreme poverty#1 of 14985.3% under $3.00 a day#1 of 47 in Africa
- Income inequality (Gini)#17 of 149a Gini index of 44.7#10 of 47 in Africa
- Jobs in agriculture#15 of 17858.5% of jobs#14 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in industry#165 of 1788.0% of jobs#45 of 53 in Africa
- Jobs in services#160 of 17833.5% of jobs#39 of 53 in Africa
- Foreign investment#89 of 1842.1% of GDP#24 of 52 in Africa
- Exports#59 of 16843.4% of GDP#12 of 49 in Africa
- Military spending#93 of 1551.4% of GDP#25 of 50 in Africa
- Mobile subscriptions#177 of 19159 subscriptions per 100 people#46 of 54 in Africa
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#180 of 1850.06 tonnes a person#51 of 53 in Africa
- Forest area#25 of 19262% forest#6 of 54 in Africa
- Renewable energy#1 of 19096.3% renewable#1 of 54 in Africa
- Access to electricity#186 of 19222.5% with electricity#48 of 54 in Africa
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#31 of 19135.8 µg/m³#16 of 54 in Africa
- Protected land#117 of 19114.9% of the land protected#29 of 54 in Africa
- Arable land#115 of 1907.3% of the land arable#32 of 54 in Africa
- Water stress#172 of 1760.2% of its available fresh water#51 of 53 in Africa
- Precipitation#54 of 1801,543 mm a year#12 of 54 in Africa
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of the DR Congo’s area, lit up on the map →
- Algeria0.98×DR Congo and Algeria are almost exactly the same size.
- Saudi Arabia1.04×DR Congo is 4% larger than Saudi Arabia.
- Kazakhstan0.86×DR Congo is 14% smaller than Kazakhstan.
- Argentina0.84×DR Congo is 16% smaller than Argentina.
- Mexico1.19×DR Congo is 19% larger than Mexico.
- Indonesia1.23×DR Congo is 23% larger than Indonesia.
How many times does DR Congo fit into…
- Russia: about 7.3 times
- Canada: about 4.3 times
- United States: about 4.2 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes DR Congo shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Congo4,700 km
- White Nile2,620 km
- Kasai2,272 km
- Lualaba1,800 km
- Kwango1,770 km
- Tshuapa1,300 km
Summits
- Mount Stanley5,109 m
- Mount Karisimbi4,507 m
- Mont Mohi3,475 m
Lakes
- Lake Tanganyika32,900 km²
- Lake Albert5,270 km²
- Lac Moeru4,650 km²
- Lake Kivu2,700 km²
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside DR Congo. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about DR Congo
- How big is DR Congo?
- DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km², which makes it number 11 of 194 countries by area. About 112,832,473 people live there (2025), 48 per km².
- Is DR Congo bigger than Algeria?
- DR Congo and Algeria are almost exactly the same size. DR Congo: 2,344,858 km²; Algeria: 2,381,741 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort DR Congo?
- DR Congo lies close to the equator, so Mercator draws it at nearly its true size. It is the countries far from the equator that Mercator inflates.
- Which countries border DR Congo?
- DR Congo shares a land border with Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, South Sudan, Central African Republic, Congo, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda.