Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 3.6 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 21.7% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 7.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
be 48.2% more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 43.4% more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
be 12.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
Life
be 76.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 39.0% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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 65.4% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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 44.8% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 22.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 51.9% more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 28.5% more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.4% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.