Congo vs Vietnam
Congo is 3% larger than Vietnam.
CongoVietnamCongo moved onto Vietnam · Equal-area projection
1.03×
Congo is 1.03× the area of Vietnam.
 Congo |  Vietnam | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaCongo: 1.03× the area | 342,000 km²#65 of 194 | 331,690 km²#67 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 5 | 3 |
| People | ||
| PopulationVietnam: 15.7× the population | 6,484,437#110 of 194 · 2025 | 101,598,527#16 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityVietnam: 16.2× the density | 19 / km²#169 of 194 | 306 / km²#27 of 194 |
| Urban populationCongo: 1.65× the urban share | 64%#92 of 192 · 2025 | 39%#152 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateCongo: 2.16× the births per woman | 4.11 per woman#23 of 192 · 2024 | 1.90 per woman#100 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthCongo: 1.76 points higher | +2.36%#31 of 192 · 2025 | +0.60%#120 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateCongo: 2.27× the birth rate | 30.4 per 1,000#28 of 192 · 2024 | 13.4 per 1,000#102 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateVietnam: 1.06× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Congo: 17.0 points higher | 39.9%#26 of 192 · 2025 | 22.9%#104 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Vietnam: 6.4 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 9.5%#82 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationThe same | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 | −0.5 per 1,000#100 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadCongo: 10.1× the refugees for its size | 2.03 per 1,000#42 of 190 · 2025 | 0.20 per 1,000#102 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyVietnam: 8.7 years longer | 66.0 years#163 of 192 · 2024 | 74.7 years#87 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityCongo: 2.25× the infant mortality | 27.0 per 1,000 births#54 of 191 · 2024 | 12.0 per 1,000 births#100 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsVietnam: 6.53× the doctors per person | 0.17 per 1,000#155 of 178 · 2022 | 1.11 per 1,000#105 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolmentVietnam: 3.62× the university enrolment | 10.4%#130 of 145 · 2023 | 37.6%#95 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexVietnam: 0.117 higher | 0.649#135 of 190 · 2023 | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaVietnam: 2.18× the income per person | $2,280#144 of 185 · 2025 | $4,970#114 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPVietnam: 31.6× the economy | $16.31B2025 | $514.7B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Vietnam: 2.5× the output per person | $7,248#140 of 184 · 2025 | $18,088#100 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthVietnam: 4.9 points higher | +3.1%#96 of 187 · 2025 | +8.0%#11 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationVietnam: 0.9 points higher | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 | +3.3%#81 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentCongo: 13.3× the unemployment | 19.9%#6 of 178 · 2025 | 1.5%#168 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 1.6%#77 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 36.1#61 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureCongo: 11.4 points higher | 36.4% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 | 25.0% of jobs#73 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryVietnam: 15.3 points higher | 19.5% of jobs#84 of 178 · 2025 | 34.8% of jobs#5 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesCongo: 4.1 points higher | 44.2% of jobs#138 of 178 · 2025 | 40.1% of jobs#147 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentVietnam: 0.6 points higher | 3.7% of GDP#52 of 184 · 2025 | 4.3% of GDP#43 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsVietnam: 50.2 points higher | 48.0% of GDP#49 of 168 · 2025 | 98.2% of GDP#8 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spendingVietnam: 1.64× the military spending | 1.3% of GDP#97 of 155 · 2025 | 2.1% of GDP#53 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersVietnam: 1.78× the share online | 47%#146 of 184 · 2024 | 84%#81 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsVietnam: 1.33× the mobile subscriptions | 96 per 100#135 of 191 · 2024 | 128 per 100#58 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaCongo: 1.36× the forest share | 64% of land#21 of 192 · 2024 | 47% of land#53 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personVietnam: 3.19× the CO₂ per person | 1.34 t a year#118 of 185 · 2024 | 4.27 t a year#56 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyCongo: 47.2 points higher | 71.4%#26 of 190 · 2021 | 24.2%#94 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityVietnam: 47.0 points higher | 53.0%#175 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Congo: 1.47× the air pollution | 36.5 µg/m³#29 of 191 · 2023 | 24.8 µg/m³#62 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landCongo: 29.0 points higher | 36.6% of land#21 of 191 · 2025 | 7.6% of land#157 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landVietnam: 19.9 points higher | 1.6% of land#167 of 190 · 2024 | 21.5% of land#51 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | 0.0%#176 of 176 · 2022 | 18.1%#70 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationVietnam: 1.11× the rain and snow | 1,646 mm#49 of 180 · 2022 | 1,821 mm#40 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityVietnam: 0.61 higher | −0.49#138 of 193 · 2025 | +0.12#93 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionVietnam: 1.31 higher | −1.42#180 of 193 · 2025 | −0.11#85 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | One-party statecommunist party-led state |
| Member of | OPEC | ASEAN |
| Capital | Brazzaville | Hanoi |
| Currency | Central African CFA franc (XAF) | Vietnamese đồng (VND) |
| Official languages | French | Vietnamese |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+1 | UTC+7 |
| Calling code | +242 | +84 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | South-Eastern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Congo sits at about 1° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Vietnam at 17° N is stretched to 1.09×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Congo bigger than Vietnam?
- Yes. Congo is 3% larger than Vietnam. Congo covers 342,000 km² and Vietnam covers 331,690 km².
- How many times does Vietnam fit into Congo?
- About 1.0 times: Congo has 1.03× the area of Vietnam.
- Why do Congo and Vietnam look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Congo is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Vietnam about 1.09×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Congo or Vietnam?
- Vietnam: 101,598,527 people against 6,484,437. Density: Congo 19 per km², Vietnam 306 per km².
- Which is richer, Congo or Vietnam?
- By gross national income per person, Vietnam: $4,970 against $2,280 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.18× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Congo or Vietnam?
- In Vietnam: life expectancy at birth is 74.7 years, against 66.0 — 8.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Congo and Vietnam have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Congo: presidential republic; Vietnam: one-party state.