Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Ecuador, you would:
Health
be 60.0% less likely to be obese
In Ecuador, 28.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 23.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ecuador, 0.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 11.0 years less
In Ecuador, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 80 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 80.3% less spent on your healthcare
Ecuador spends $1,238 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 86.0% fewer doctors per person
Ecuador has 23.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 27.3% less access to essential health services
Ecuador scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 78.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Ecuador, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ecuador, 21.4% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 81.5% less money
Ecuador has a GDP per capita of $7,125 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.2 times more children
In Ecuador, there are approximately 14.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 54.5% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ecuador, approximately 55.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.2% less likely to be literate
In Ecuador, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2024. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ecuador, approximately 10.9 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 Ecuador, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 96% 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 77.8% less likely to have internet access
In Ecuador, approximately 77.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 20.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ecuador, approximately 92% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 81% 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 20.9% less on healthcare
Ecuador spends 7.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 10.3% more on education
Ecuador spends 3.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ecuador, road accidents kill 23.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 58.1% less strain on fresh water
Ecuador withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 95.4% less home broadband
Ecuador has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 56.6% less electricity
Ecuador uses 1,676 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 79.5% less CO2
Ecuador emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ecuador, air pollution causes 23.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ecuador vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Ecuador? See an in-depth size comparison.