Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Ireland, you would:
Health
be 58.5% less likely to be obese
In Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 16.6% less likely to die by suicide
Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 47.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Ireland, 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 16.5 years less
In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 97.2% less spent on your healthcare
Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 91.6% fewer doctors per person
Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 32.5% less access to essential health services
Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
Economy
be 27.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Ireland, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 4.3 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 99.0% less money
Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.3 times more children
In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 21.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 10.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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 Ireland, 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 82.4% less likely to have internet access
In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 24.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Ireland, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 98% 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 12.7% less on healthcare
Ireland spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 40.3% more on education
Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 6.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 64.7% less strain on fresh water
Ireland withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 97.6% less home broadband
Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 88.5% less electricity
Ireland uses 6,298 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 91.1% less CO2
Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.8 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ireland vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.