# DR Congo and Congo compared

DR Congo and Congo side by side: 43 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 2 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/cod-vs-cog
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- DR Congo: 30 June 1960 — Independence of the Congo from Belgian sovereignty
- Congo: 15 August 1960 — Independence from French Equatorial Africa

## Economy

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $71 B | 2024 | $16 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $649 | 2024 | $2,482 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 6.1% | 2024 | 2.6% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.9% | 2016 | 3.1% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 100.6% | 2024 | 93.2% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 109 m | 2024 | 6.3 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 62.1 yrs | 2024 | 66.0 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 44.7% | 2024 | 63.9% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 6.0 | 2024 | 4.1 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 35.6 | 2024 | 33.8 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 29.7 | 2024 | 61.5 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 18.4 | 2024 | 29.7 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 34.6 | 2024 | 36.7 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 29.0 | 2024 | 36.7 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 17.2 | 2024 | 19.0 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.7% | 2023 | 3.3% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.21 | 2022 | 0.17 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 89.7 | 2024 | 39.1 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 55.0% | 2024 | 72.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 11.9% | 2024 | 45.9% | 2021 |

## Education

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 68.5% | 2023 | 76.1% | 2005 |
| Education spending | 2.8% | 2022 | 3.3% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 117.6% | 2023 | 87.9% | 2023 |
| Secondary enrolment | 55.5% | 2023 | 50.5% | 2012 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 6.4% | 2020 | 10.4% | 2023 |

## Technology

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.4% | 2015 | 0.4% | 2022 |
| Researchers (per million) | 10 | 2015 | 127 | 2022 |
| Internet users | 19.7% | 2024 | 47.3% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 59 | 2024 | 96 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 0.2% | 2023 | 3.2% | 2023 |

## Geography

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,267,050 km² | 2023 | 341,500 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 54.2% | 2023 | 64.1% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 15.5% | 2023 | 31.2% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.1 | 2024 | 1.3 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 96.3% | 2021 | 71.4% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 38.8% | 2021 | 37.7% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.6% | 2021 | 34.4% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 28.8% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 9.4% | 2021 | 3.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 22.1% | 2023 | 51.3% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 3.2 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Cobalt (mined) | 230 kt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Congo | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.2% | 2024 | 1.2% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $899 M | 2024 | $182 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 134,000 | 2020 | 12,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/COD.md and https://terralore.co/country/COG.md.

## Entangled histories (2 events)

Events in which either nation's sourced chronicle names the other — including under earlier names of the same state. Each is the record exactly as its own chronicle carries it, with that chronicle's sources.

- 1884–1885: **Berlin Conference divides the two Congos** — The Berlin Conference recognised French claims north of the Congo River and assigned the south bank to Leopold II's Congo Free State, fixing the lasting division between the Republic of the Congo and the future Democratic Republic. (from the Congo chronicle; sources: Republic of the Congo; History of the Republic of the Congo)
- May 1997: **Mobutu falls; Kabila takes power** — Mobutu flees into exile and dies months later; Kabila seizes Kinshasa and restores the name Democratic Republic of the Congo. (from the DR Congo chronicle; sources: Kabila, Laurent-Désiré (1939–2001); Mobutu Sese Seko, president of Zaire; Mobutu Sese Seko)

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/COD/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/COG/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "DR Congo and Congo compared", terralore.co/compare/cod-vs-cog, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.