Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Ethiopia, you would:
Health
see 20.3% more spent on your healthcare
Ethiopia spends $86 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 57.1% more access to essential health services
Ethiopia scores 35 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 14.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ethiopia, 0.7% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 4.5 years less
In Ethiopia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 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 5.0 times more likely to be obese
In Ethiopia, 2.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Ethiopia has a suicide rate of 6.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.2 times more money
Ethiopia has a GDP per capita of $933 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Ethiopia, 3.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 15.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ethiopia, 33.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
Life
be 48.4% more likely to be literate
In Ethiopia, the literacy rate is 60.5% as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 83.6% more likely to die during childbirth
In Ethiopia, approximately 195.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Ethiopia, approximately 34.5 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 11.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ethiopia, approximately 55% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 44% 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 89.8% more likely to have internet access
In Ethiopia, approximately 21.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 20.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ethiopia, approximately 56% of people have access to drinking water (83% in urban areas, and 47% 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 83.5% less on education
Ethiopia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 68.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Ethiopia, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Ethiopia has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
use 4.5 times more electricity
Ethiopia uses 113 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
live with 42.9% more strain on fresh water
Ethiopia withdraws 32% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 21.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Ethiopia, air pollution causes 46.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 5.1 times more CO2
Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ethiopia vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Ethiopia? See an in-depth size comparison.