# DR Congo and Rwanda compared

DR Congo and Rwanda side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, and the 3 events their chronicles record of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/cod-vs-rwa
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
- Rwanda: c. 1650 — The Kingdom of Rwanda takes shape under the Nyiginya

## Economy

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $71 B | 2024 | $14 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $649 | 2024 | $1,000 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 6.1% | 2024 | 8.9% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 2.9% | 2016 | 1.8% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 100.6% | 2024 | 70.0% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 109 m | 2024 | 14 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 62.1 yrs | 2024 | 68.0 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 44.7% | 2024 | 29.9% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 6.0 | 2024 | 3.6 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 35.6 | 2024 | 46.5 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 29.7 | 2024 | 65.1 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 18.4 | 2024 | 58.1 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 34.6 | 2024 | 59.1 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 29.0 | 2024 | 58.7 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 17.2 | 2024 | 60.5 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 3.7% | 2023 | 5.1% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.21 | 2022 | 0.09 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 89.7 | 2024 | 37.7 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 55.0% | 2024 | 97.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 11.9% | 2024 | — | — |

## Education

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 68.5% | 2023 | 78.8% | 2022 |
| Education spending | 2.8% | 2022 | 4.6% | 2024 |
| Primary enrolment | 117.6% | 2023 | 149.6% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 55.5% | 2023 | 48.8% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 6.4% | 2020 | 9.4% | 2024 |

## Technology

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.4% | 2015 | 0.8% | 2023 |
| Researchers (per million) | 10 | 2015 | 133 | 2023 |
| Internet users | 19.7% | 2024 | 31.7% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 59 | 2024 | 93 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 0.2% | 2023 | 4.8% | 2022 |

## Geography

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 2,267,050 km² | 2023 | 24,670 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 54.2% | 2023 | 11.3% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 15.5% | 2023 | 76.3% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.1 | 2024 | 0.2 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 96.3% | 2021 | 79.9% | 2022 |

## Resources

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 38.8% | 2021 | 4.0% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.6% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 28.8% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 9.4% | 2021 | 4.0% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 22.1% | 2023 | 63.9% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | 3.2 Mt | 2025 | — | — |
| Cobalt (mined) | 230 kt | 2025 | — | — |

## Military

| Metric | DR Congo | Observed | Rwanda | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 1.2% | 2024 | 1.2% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $899 M | 2024 | $176 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 134,000 | 2020 | 35,000 | 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/RWA.md.

## Entangled histories (3 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.

- 1994 onward: **Refugee crisis and the Congo wars** — Over a million Hutu flee to camps in Zaire and beyond; the presence of armed génocidaires there draws Rwanda into the Congo wars from 1996, which kill millions across the region. (from the Rwanda chronicle; sources: Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda — Historical Background; History of Rwanda)
- 1996–1997: **First Congo War** — A Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion under Laurent-Désiré Kabila advances across the country against the collapsing Mobutu regime. (from the DR Congo chronicle; sources: Kabila, Laurent-Désiré (1939–2001); Mobutu Sese Seko)
- Aug 1998: **Second Congo War begins** — Kabila breaks with Rwanda and Uganda; nine nations and many militias are drawn into 'Africa's World War,' the deadliest conflict since 1945. (from the DR Congo chronicle; sources: Second Congo War)

## 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/RWA/chronicle.md.

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