Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Belize, you would:
Health
be 73.3% less likely to be obese
In Belize, 43.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 7.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Belize, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 7.2 years less
In Belize, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 57.5% less spent on your healthcare
Belize spends $573 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 17.6% less access to essential health services
Belize scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 70.6% more likely to die by suicide
Belize has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Belize, 8.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 83.2% less money
Belize has a GDP per capita of $7,865 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 81.3% more children
In Belize, there are approximately 18.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 26.9% more likely to die during childbirth
In Belize, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.3% less likely to be literate
In Belize, the literacy rate is 87.9% as of 2022. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belize, approximately 10.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belize, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 78.6% less likely to have internet access
In Belize, approximately 80.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Belize, approximately 95% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 91% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.9% less on education
Belize spends 4.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 44.1% more on healthcare
Belize spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 91.9% less home broadband
Belize has 9.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 2.3 times more strain on fresh water
Belize withdraws 1% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 41.9% less CO2
Belize emits 0.9 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belize, air pollution causes 21.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Belize vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Belize? See an in-depth size comparison.