DR Congo holds a 77–23 advantage over Zambia on the Relative Advantage Index, a decisive margin.
The margin is driven by military spending (75% of the combined total, $1.2bn) and economic size (GDP) (74% of the combined total, $71.0bn).
1 factor — nuclear warheads — could not be scored because the figure is unpublished for at least one side. Those factors are excluded and the remaining weights renormalised, never substituted.
| Factor | DR Congo | Share | Zambia | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Military spending SIPRI Milex | $1.2bn | 75%25% | $406m | 33% |
Economic size (GDP) World Bank WDI | $71.0bn | 74%26% | $25.3bn | 27% |
Active personnel COW NMC | 134.0k | 90%10% | 15.0k | 20% |
Logistics & power projection OurAirports | 24 | 71%29% | 10 | 20% |
Shares are each side's portion of the combined total for that factor. Weights are renormalised across the factors both sides publish — see the methodology. Data read 2026-08-04.
Every combination inside the top 30 of the Composite Power Index.
Bordering states — the comparisons people actually search for.