Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Equatorial Guinea, you would:
Health
live 2.6 years longer
In Equatorial Guinea, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 39.7% less likely to be obese
In Equatorial Guinea, 19.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Equatorial Guinea has 1.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 21.7% more access to essential health services
Equatorial Guinea scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
see 60.0% less spent on your healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends $609 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
Economy
be 29.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Equatorial Guinea, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 18.3% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Equatorial Guinea, 50.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 80.1% less money
Equatorial Guinea has a GDP per capita of $6,615 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 51.1% less likely to die during childbirth
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 174.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 47.6 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 23.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 2% 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 73.0% less likely to have internet access
In Equatorial Guinea, approximately 63.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 70.9% more on healthcare
Equatorial Guinea spends 3.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 46.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Equatorial Guinea, road accidents kill 11.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 7.9 times more home broadband
Equatorial Guinea has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 15.8 times more strain on fresh water
Equatorial Guinea withdraws 0% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 15.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Equatorial Guinea, air pollution causes 59.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 78.8% less CO2
Equatorial Guinea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Equatorial Guinea vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Equatorial Guinea? See an in-depth size comparison.