Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Guinea-Bissau, you would:
Health
live 2.3 years longer
In Guinea-Bissau, the average life expectancy is 64 years (62 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
have 28.6% more doctors per person
Guinea-Bissau has 2.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 51.4% more access to essential health services
Guinea-Bissau scores 37 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 4.3 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 17.3% more money
Guinea-Bissau has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guinea-Bissau, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 18.8% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Guinea-Bissau, 50.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
Life
be 83.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 505.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.3% more likely to be literate
In Guinea-Bissau, the literacy rate is 63.9% as of 2022. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 17.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 42.1 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.
have 10.7% more children
In Guinea-Bissau, there are approximately 29.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 26.2% more likely to have access to electricity
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 40% of people have electricity access (64% in urban areas, and 21% 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 18.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 62% of people have access to drinking water (73% in urban areas, and 53% 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.
be 42.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guinea-Bissau, approximately 29.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.2% less on healthcare
Guinea-Bissau spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 50.7% more on education
Guinea-Bissau spends 2.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 43.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Guinea-Bissau, road accidents kill 30.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 4.6 times more likely to be murdered
Guinea-Bissau has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2017. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
Infrastructure
find 2.0 times more home broadband
Guinea-Bissau has 0.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 89.3% more strain on fresh water
Guinea-Bissau withdraws 2% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 43.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Guinea-Bissau, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.4 times more CO2
Guinea-Bissau emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guinea-Bissau vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Guinea-Bissau? See an in-depth size comparison.