The Most Similar Countries to the Democratic Republic of Congo

similar countries to democratic republic of congo map

Have you ever wondered how similar or different two countries are? The Country Similarity Index attempts to quantify how similar countries are to each other relative to other countries. The index is a statistically-based way to measure this. It weighs equally five major aspects of countries: their demographics, culture, politics, infrastructure, and geography. The methodology is exactly the same for each country. The research combines 1,000 different data points to arrive at the conclusions.

similar countries to democratic republic of congo diagram

Top 10 Countries Most Similar to the Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country in the Tropical Africa region. The top five countries most similar to it are all former French colonies. They all have an abundance of savanna land. The majority of the people in these countries are Christian and natively speak Niger-Congo languages. Furthermore, they have high rates of poverty and their infrastructure is not well developed.

  1. Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo are incredibly similar countries. Not only are their names essentially the same, but also they are both are sparsely populated, tropical French-speaking countries. However, the Democratic Republic of Congo was colonized by Belgium, not France. Both have large populations of native Kikongo and Kituba speakers. In addition, both countries are mostly Protestant, but also have many Catholics. The biggest difference may be their electricity production. The Democratic Republic of Congo almost entirely relies on hydropower to generate electricity, while the Republic of Congo mostly uses oil.
  2. Cameroon is another former French colony, like the Republic of Congo, on this list. Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo have both tropical savannas and rainforests. In addition, their governments are similar since they are both one-party states. They also use the presidential system of government and have bicameral legislatures. Furthermore, both countries use 112 as their emergency number.
  3. Central African Republic is just to the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Both countries are quite poor and have little infrastructure. They create most of their electricity through hydropower. Although the countries have a low percentage of agricultural land, they both grow cassava and corn. They also tend to drink a lot of moonshine. Interestingly enough, both have also received military aid from Ukraine.
  4. Burundi is another former Belgian country in Africa. Both countries are almost entirely Christian. The average age in these countries is among the lowest in the world. However it is much more densely populated than the Democratic Republic of Congo and has a much lower percentage of forested land. Burundi’s diet also consists of more bananas and less cassava.
  5. Togo is another French-speaking tropical country that borders the Atlantic Ocean. Both countries are ruled by dictators. However, Togo has significantly less restrictive laws restricting abortion. It also prohibits prostitution unlike the Democratic Republic of Congo. Furthermore, Togo is much more religiously diverse. Although a plurality of people there are Christian, they also have many Muslims and people who practice Voodoo.
  6. Guinea, 7. Ivory Coast, 8. Rwanda, 9. Equatorial Guinea, 10. Angola

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Top 10 Countries Least Similar to the Democratic Republic of Congo

The five least similar countries to the Democratic Republic of Congo all are far wealthier and their infrastructure is much more advanced. These countries tend to have a lot of coastline as well. With the exception of Iceland, they are all much more densely populated and their cities have many skyscrapers. Four of the five least similar countries are located in Asia.

  1. Japan is by far the least similar country to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its demographics, culture, politics, and technology are significantly different. There isn’t much in common between the two. Both countries do get about the same amount of rainfall and have a similar percentage of forested area. However, Japan is a mountainous archipelago, while the Democratic Republic of Congo is fairly flat and is nearly landlocked.
  2. South Korea is similar to Japan, but it has slightly more in common with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Many of its people are Christian, although they have many irreligious people as well. Furthermore, both countries drive on the right side of the road and use Type C electrical outlets. Still, there is little else these countries have in common.
  3. Iceland, like the Democratic Republic of Congo, also borders the Atlantic Ocean, but they are extremely different in each of the five major categories: demographics, culture, politics, technology and geography. Although Iceland is mostly Christian, a significant number of its people are irreligious in contrast to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The country is sparsely vegetated and also less densely populated.
  4. Bahrain is a small desert island in the Persian Gulf. Its native citizens speak Arabic and are mostly Muslim. It was once a protectorate of Great Britain, so it uses Type G electrical outlets and English is in widespread use. Although both countries have authoritarian governments, Bahrain has much more rule of law.
  5. Qatar is quite similar to Bahrain. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the world. It is another very densely populated country, in contrast to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its landscape is barren and the country gets little rainfall. The country also has a far higher percentage of men, since many males have immigrated there to work on construction projects.
  6. Israel, 7. Taiwan, 8. United Arab Emirates, 9. United Kingdom, 10. Kuwait

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The Democratic Republic of Congo is like if the Republic of Congo was more like Burundi

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo are two of the most similar countries in the world. The biggest difference is that one was a Belgian colony, while the other was a French colony. Burundi is another former Belgian colony in Africa, so it has some traits of the Democratic Republic of Congo that the Republic of Congo lacks.

Full Ranking of Countries and Territories Most Similar to the Democratic Republic of Congo

All data accurate as of 2020.

similar countries to democratic republic of congo graph

Country Superlatives

Most Similar Demographics: Republic of Congo
Most Similar Culture: Republic of Congo
Most Similar Government: Republic of Congo
Most Similar Infrastructure: Central African Republic
Most Similar Geography: Republic of Congo

Least Similar Demographics: Japan
Least Similar Culture: Japan
Least Similar Government: Finland
Least Similar Infrastructure: United States
Least Similar Geography: Bahrain

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