Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Cabo Verde, you would:
Health
be 30.8% less likely to be obese
In Cabo Verde, 16.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 52.1% less likely to die by suicide
Cabo Verde has a suicide rate of 14.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 10.4 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Cabo Verde, 0.9% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years less
In Cabo Verde, the average life expectancy is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 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 60.5% less spent on your healthcare
Cabo Verde spends $617 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 55.6% fewer doctors per person
Cabo Verde has 7.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 21.1% less access to essential health services
Cabo Verde scores 71 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Cabo Verde, 11.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Cabo Verde, 24.8% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 77.3% less money
Cabo Verde has a GDP per capita of $5,796 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Cabo Verde, there are approximately 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Cabo Verde, approximately 40.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.9% less likely to be literate
In Cabo Verde, the literacy rate is 88.5% as of 2024. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Cabo Verde, approximately 10.6 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 48.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Cabo Verde, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 97% 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 77.1% less likely to have internet access
In Cabo Verde, approximately 74.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Cabo Verde, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 86% 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.
Infrastructure
live with 95.2% less strain on fresh water
Cabo Verde withdraws 60% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 90.5% less home broadband
Cabo Verde has 8.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 15.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Cabo Verde, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 58.1% less CO2
Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Cabo Verde vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Cabo Verde? See an in-depth size comparison.