DR Congo vs Zambia
DR Congo is 3.12 times larger than Zambia. Zambia would fit into DR Congo about 3.1 times.
DR CongoZambiaDR Congo moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
3.12×
DR Congo is 3.12× the area of Zambia.
 DR Congo |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaDR Congo: 3.12× the area | 2,344,858 km²#11 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 9 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationDR Congo: 5.15× the population | 112,832,473#15 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityDR Congo: 1.65× the density | 48 / km²#136 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationAbout the same urban share | 45%#138 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateDR Congo: 1.48× the births per woman | 5.98 per woman#3 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthDR Congo: 0.43 points higher | +3.20%#10 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateDR Congo: 1.25× the birth rate | 40.9 per 1,000#5 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateDR Congo: 1.62× the death rate | 8.4 per 1,000#66 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15DR Congo: 4.9 points higher | 45.9%#5 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65DR Congo: 1.1 points higher | 3.1%#166 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 0.5 per 1,000 higher | −0.2 per 1,000#84 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadDR Congo: 522× the refugees for its size | 10.43 per 1,000#18 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyZambia: 4.4 years longer | 62.1 years#179 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityDR Congo: 1.63× the infant mortality | 56.4 per 1,000 births#9 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsZambia: 1.52× the doctors per person | 0.21 per 1,000#147 of 178 · 2022 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 6.4%#137 of 145 · 2020 | — |
| Human Development IndexZambia: 0.073 higher | 0.522#168 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaZambia: 1.67× the income per person | $720#177 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPDR Congo: 3.15× the economy | $91.03B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Zambia: 2.28× the output per person | $1,920#179 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthDR Congo: 2.0 points higher | +5.8%#35 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentZambia: 1.34× the unemployment | 4.4%#108 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyDR Congo: 1.19× the share in extreme poverty | 85.3%#1 of 149 · 2020 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 6.8 higher | 44.7#17 of 149 · 2020 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureDR Congo: 4.0 points higher | 58.5% of jobs#15 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryZambia: 2.3 points higher | 8.0% of jobs#165 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 1.7 points higher | 33.5% of jobs#160 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 2.4 points higher | 2.1% of GDP#89 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsDR Congo: 8.4 points higher | 43.4% of GDP#59 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingDR Congo: 1.1× the military spending | 1.4% of GDP#93 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersDR Congo: 1.15× the share online | 20%#173 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 1.85× the mobile subscriptions | 59 per 100#177 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaAbout the same forest share | 62% of land#25 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZambia: 9.0× the CO₂ per person | 0.06 t a year#180 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyDR Congo: 13.3 points higher | 96.3%#1 of 190 · 2021 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityZambia: 31.1 points higher | 22.5%#186 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)DR Congo: 1.77× the air pollution | 35.8 µg/m³#31 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 26.4 points higher | 14.9% of land#117 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landDR Congo: 2.2 points higher | 7.3% of land#115 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressZambia: 14.0× the water stress | 0.2%#172 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationDR Congo: 1.51× the rain and snow | 1,543 mm#54 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 2.07 higher | −2.13#189 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionZambia: 1.03 higher | −1.49#182 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Semi-presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Kinshasa | Lusaka |
| Currency | Congolese franc (CDF) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | French | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+1 · UTC+1 to UTC+2, 2 time zones | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +243 | +260 |
| Region | Middle Africa, Africa | Eastern Africa, Africa |
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. DR Congo sits at about 3° S and is stretched to 1.0× its true area; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. 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 DR Congo bigger than Zambia?
- Yes. DR Congo is 3.12 times larger than Zambia. DR Congo covers 2,344,858 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Zambia fit into DR Congo?
- About 3.1 times: DR Congo has 3.12× the area of Zambia.
- Why do DR Congo and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. DR Congo is drawn about 1.0× its true area there and Zambia about 1.06×. 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, DR Congo or Zambia?
- DR Congo: 112,832,473 people against 21,913,874. Density: DR Congo 48 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, DR Congo or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Zambia: $1,200 against $720 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 1.67× as much.
- Where do people live longer, DR Congo or Zambia?
- In Zambia: life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years, against 62.1 — 4.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do DR Congo and Zambia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — DR Congo: semi-presidential republic; Zambia: presidential republic.