Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of China, you would:
Health
live 15.0 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
be 58.3% more likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
see 93.1% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 95.6% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 32.1% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 93.7% more likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
make 78.2% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.4 times more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 22.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 38.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In China, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 54.5% less likely to have internet access
In China, approximately 91.6% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 30.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In China, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.3% less on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 50.7% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 13.5 times more likely to be murdered
China has a homicide rate of 0.5 per 100,000 people as of 2020. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 71.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In China, road accidents kill 17.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.9% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 11.0% more strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 92.3% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 12.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 91.7% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.