Sub-Saharan Africa

A life that begins in Congo, Rep.

One in every 680 babies in the world is born here: about 197,283 a year, 0.38 a minute.

Population: 6,484,437
Births a year: 197,283
Life expectancy: 66
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000): 39.1

Health and survival

Life expectancy, women (years)
67.7
World: 75.9
Life expectancy, men (years)
64.3
World: 71
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)
27
World: 27.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
39.1
World: 37.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)
241
World: 189
Adults living with HIV (%)
3.2
World: 0.7
Adults who smoke (%)
16
World: 20
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)
6.1
World: 4.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)
29.7
World: 17
Homicides (per 100,000)
≈ 5.2
World: 4.7

Family and school

Children per woman
4.11
World: 2.85
Women married before 18 (%)
27
World: 18
Children in primary school (%)
88
World: 89
Secondary school enrolment (%)
51
World: 81
Higher education enrolment (%)
10
World: 48
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)
31.5
World: 11.9

Money and work

Income per person (PPP)
$6,194
World: $21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)
49
World: 34
Living on under $3 a day (%)
39.2
World: 9.9
Unemployment (%)
19.9
World: 5.1
Jobs in farming (%)
36
World: 27
Women in the workforce (%)
66
World: 48
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)
28
World: 37

Home and connection

Living in cities (%)
64
World: 58
Access to electricity (%)
53
World: 92
Safe drinking water (%)
73
World: 91
Internet users (%)
47
World: 72

Peace and wellbeing

Life satisfaction (0–10)
4.46
World: 5.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)
2.98
World: 2.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)
0.2
World: 0.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy

1960: 47.6 → 2026: 66.1 → 2050: 70.5

World

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)

1960: 194 → 2026: 36 → 2050: 13

World

Children per woman

1960: 6.1 → 2026: 4 → 2050: 3

World

Living in cities (%)

1960: 37 → 2026: 65 → 2050: 79

World

Nobody chooses where they are born

In the game, the country is drawn by the real share of births: Congo, Rep. comes up about once in every 680 lives.

Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.