Home Compare DR Congo vs United Kingdom

DR Congo vs United Kingdom

DR Congo and United Kingdom side by side: live population, demographics, economy, environment and digital indicators from the UN and the World Bank, plus charts that overlay the full history of both countries. Change either country to compare any pair.

At a glance

Live population · UN WPP
Flag of Democratic Republic of the Congo

DR Congo

Africa · #15 of 238 by population
Live population
117,494,835
+3.1% a year · full profile · atlas
vs
Flag of United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Europe · #22 of 238 by population
Live population
70,039,803
+0.5% a year · full profile · atlas
DR Congo has 1.7× the population of United Kingdom (62.7% vs 37.3% of the two combined).

DR Congo vs United Kingdom: 28 indicators side by side

Latest available figures · October 2026
IndicatorDR CongoUnited KingdomDifference
👥 Population
Population
people
117,494,83570,039,803DR Congo 1.7×
Population growth rate
% per year
+3.1+0.5+2.6 pts
Population density
people per km²
50.12026287.52026-237.4
Surface area
km²
2,344,8602023243,6102023DR Congo 9.6×
Birth rate
births per 1,000 people
40.920249.92024+31
Death rate
deaths per 1,000 people
8.420249.72024-1.3
Net migration rate
per 1,000 people per year
-0.2+5.2-5.4
Urban population
% of population
45.1202583.32025-38.2 pts
Sex ratio
males per 100 females
98.597.1+1.4
❤️ Demographics & Health
Life expectancy
years
62.1202481.42024-19.3
Fertility rate
births per woman
5.9820241.552024+4.43
Median age
years
15.940.2-24.3
Infant mortality
deaths per 1,000 live births
47.43.4+44
Population under 15
% of population
45.92025172025+29 pts
Population aged 65+
% of population
3.1202519.72025-16.6 pts
💰 Economy
GDP
current US$
$91.03B2025$4.00T2025United Kingdom 44×
GDP per capita
current US$
$8072025$57,6022025United Kingdom 71×
Unemployment rate
% of labor force
4.420254.72025-0.3 pts
Inflation rate
% annual, consumer prices
2.920163.92025-1 pts
🌱 Environment & Energy
CO₂ emissions
Mt CO₂ per year
6.212024292.42024United Kingdom 47×
CO₂ emissions per capita
tonnes per person
0.0620244.222024-4.16
Energy use per capita
kg of oil equivalent per person
40920232,0692024United Kingdom 5.1×
Renewable energy share
% of final energy
96.3202112.22021+84.1 pts
Forest area
% of land area
54.2202313.32023+40.9 pts
Freshwater resources per capita
m³ per person per year
8,78920222,1442022DR Congo 4.1×
Water stress
% of resources withdrawn
0.120225.82022-5.7 pts
📶 Digital
Internet users
% of population
19.7202495.52024-75.8 pts
Mobile subscriptions
per 100 people
58.52024121.62024-63.1

▲ marks the higher value (for death rate, infant mortality, unemployment, inflation, CO₂ and water stress: the lower value). "Difference" is the ratio for absolute measures and DR Congo minus United Kingdom for rates and shares. Years in grey are the latest available for that country.

DR Congo compared with United Kingdom

Updated October 2026

DR Congo has a live population of about 117,494,835 (#15 in the world) and United Kingdom about 70,039,803 (#22), so DR Congo has 1.7 times as many people as United Kingdom. DR Congo is growing at 3.1% a year and United Kingdom at 0.5%.

By area DR Congo is larger: 2,344,860 km² against 243,610 km², which gives population densities of 50.1 people per km² in DR Congo and 287.5 in United Kingdom.

DR Congo's economy is worth $91.03B (2025) and United Kingdom's $4.00T (2025); per person that is $807 in DR Congo versus $57,602 in United Kingdom, so the average United Kingdom resident produces 71.4 times as much.

Life expectancy is 62.1 years in DR Congo and 81.4 in United Kingdom; women have 6 children on average in DR Congo compared with 1.6 in United Kingdom; the median age is 15.9 versus 40.2 years.

45.1% of DR Congo's people live in cities against 83.3% in United Kingdom; 19.7% use the internet in DR Congo and 95.5% in United Kingdom; CO₂ emissions per person are 0.1 t in DR Congo and 4.2 t in United Kingdom.

Population over time

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Life expectancy & fertility

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Birth & death rates

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Age structure

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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CO₂ emissions

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Energy use & renewables

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Forest area

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Urban population

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Water resources & stress

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Economy

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Unemployment & inflation

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Internet & mobile

DR Congo vs United Kingdom
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Frequently asked questions

Which is bigger, DR Congo or United Kingdom?

By population DR Congo is bigger: 117,494,835 people versus 70,039,803 (live estimates, October 2026). By area DR Congo is larger (2,344,860 km² vs 243,610 km²).

Which has the larger economy, DR Congo or United Kingdom?

United Kingdom: GDP of $4,002,587,541,846 versus $91,030,531,317 in current US dollars (World Bank, 2025/2025).

Where do people live longer, DR Congo or United Kingdom?

Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in DR Congo and 81.4 years in United Kingdom, a difference of 19.3 years in favour of United Kingdom.

How are these comparisons calculated?

Live populations extrapolate the UN World Population Prospects baseline with each country's growth rate; every other figure is the latest value published by World Bank Open Data (or the UN for median age, infant mortality and migration). Each row shows the year of the figure, and the charts below overlay the full historical series of both countries.

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Sources & method: live populations are linear extrapolations of the UN World Population Prospects estimates; all other indicators are the latest values from World Bank Open Data (UN WPP for median age, infant mortality, sex ratio and net migration). Figures are statistical estimates, not census counts. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.