Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Finland, you would:
Health
be 52.1% less likely to be obese
In Finland, 24.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 51.1% less likely to die by suicide
Finland has a suicide rate of 14.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 15.8 years less
In Finland, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 85 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 96.2% less spent on your healthcare
Finland spends $6,433 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 91.0% fewer doctors per person
Finland has 36.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 34.9% less access to essential health services
Finland scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 37.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Finland, 9.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 4.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Finland, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 97.7% less money
Finland has a GDP per capita of $56,149 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In Finland, there are approximately 7.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 10.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Finland, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Finland, approximately 1.9 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 48.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Finland, 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 81.8% less likely to have internet access
In Finland, approximately 93.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Finland, 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 36.2% less on education
Finland spends 6.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 42.9% less on healthcare
Finland spends 10.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Finland, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 60.1% less strain on fresh water
Finland withdraws 7% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 97.8% less home broadband
Finland has 36.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 95.1% less electricity
Finland uses 14,819 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.3% less CO2
Finland emits 5.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Finland, air pollution causes 7.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Finland vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Finland? See an in-depth size comparison.