Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
have 51.1% more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 19.6% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 7.5 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Gambia, 1.3% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years less
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 18.7% more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 3.6 times more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 28.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 3.3 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 42.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 73.7% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 90.8% more likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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 15.9% less likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 22.8% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 86.5% less on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.7 times more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 20.9 times more strain on fresh water
Gambia withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 37.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 4.3 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 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: Gambia vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.