Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Guyana, you would:
Health
be 61.6% less likely to be obese
In Guyana, 30.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 71.2% less likely to die by suicide
Guyana has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 5.9 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Guyana, 1.6% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 3.8 years less
In Guyana, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 74 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 81.7% less spent on your healthcare
Guyana spends $1,331 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 76.6% fewer doctors per person
Guyana has 13.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 26.3% less access to essential health services
Guyana scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 50.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Guyana, 12.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 95.9% less money
Guyana has a GDP per capita of $32,414 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 64.6% more children
In Guyana, there are approximately 19.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to be literate
In Guyana, the literacy rate is 88.8% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 49.1% more likely to die during infancy
In Guyana, approximately 23.2 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 48.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Guyana, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (99% in urban areas, and 92% 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 79.4% less likely to have internet access
In Guyana, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 23.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guyana, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 96% 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 2.4 times more on healthcare
Guyana spends 2.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guyana, road accidents kill 15.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 13.9% less strain on fresh water
Guyana withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 93.9% less home broadband
Guyana has 12.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 88.2% less CO2
Guyana emits 4.6 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 (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guyana vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Guyana? See an in-depth size comparison.