Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Israel, you would:
Health
be 47.9% less likely to be obese
In Israel, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
live 16.7 years less
In Israel, 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 94.0% less spent on your healthcare
Israel spends $4,033 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 91.5% fewer doctors per person
Israel has 38.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 34.1% less access to essential health services
Israel scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 63.2% more likely to die by suicide
Israel has a suicide rate of 4.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 69.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Israel, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 97.8% less money
Israel has a GDP per capita of $60,337 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 75.9% more children
In Israel, there are approximately 18.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 42.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Israel, approximately 2.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 12.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Israel, approximately 2.7 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 Israel, 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 80.6% less likely to have internet access
In Israel, approximately 88.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Israel, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 31.4% less on education
Israel spends 5.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 15.8% less on healthcare
Israel spends 7.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 4.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Israel, road accidents kill 4.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.8% less strain on fresh water
Israel withdraws 132% of its available fresh water each year as of 2021. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 97.3% less home broadband
Israel has 29.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 89.9% less electricity
Israel uses 7,186 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.6% less CO2
Israel emits 5.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Israel, air pollution causes 15.0 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: Israel vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Israel? See an in-depth size comparison.