Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Croatia, you would:
Health
be 62.4% less likely to be obese
In Croatia, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 54.5% less likely to die by suicide
Croatia has a suicide rate of 15.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 94.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Croatia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 12.4 years less
In Croatia, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 82 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 92.5% less spent on your healthcare
Croatia spends $3,229 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 91.7% fewer doctors per person
Croatia has 39.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 30.0% less access to essential health services
Croatia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 18.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Croatia, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Croatia, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 95.1% less money
Croatia has a GDP per capita of $27,104 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.9 times more children
In Croatia, there are approximately 8.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Croatia, approximately 3.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.8% less likely to be literate
In Croatia, the literacy rate is 99.4% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 8.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Croatia, approximately 4.1 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 48.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Croatia, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 79.6% less likely to have internet access
In Croatia, approximately 83.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Croatia, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 16.4% less on healthcare
Croatia spends 7.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Croatia, road accidents kill 8.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.3% less home broadband
Croatia has 29.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 88.1% more strain on fresh water
Croatia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 83.8% less electricity
Croatia uses 4,484 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 88.8% less CO2
Croatia emits 4.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 61.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Croatia, air pollution causes 31.0 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), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Croatia vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Croatia? See an in-depth size comparison.