Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 58.6% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 47.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guatemala, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 6.2 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 73.9% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 74.7% fewer doctors per person
Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
be 44.3% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 80.0% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 58.7% more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 12.6% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 2.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 Guatemala, 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 71.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 21.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% 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 12.1% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 32.1% more on education
Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 35.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 50.5% less strain on fresh water
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 85.2% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 51.4% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 25.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.