Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Kiribati, you would:
Health
be 74.6% less likely to be obese
In Kiribati, 45.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
have 16.7% more access to essential health services
Kiribati scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 59.2% less likely to die by suicide
Kiribati has a suicide rate of 17.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 39.2% less spent on your healthcare
Kiribati spends $401 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
Economy
be 10.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Kiribati, 5.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 48.5% less money
Kiribati has a GDP per capita of $2,559 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Kiribati, approximately 38.8 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 29.3% more children
In Kiribati, there are approximately 25.3 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 46.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Kiribati, approximately 96% of people have electricity access (89% in urban areas, and 94% 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 80.9% less likely to have internet access
In Kiribati, approximately 89.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 75.2% less on education
Kiribati spends 16.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.4% less on healthcare
Kiribati spends 10.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.8% less likely to be murdered
Kiribati has a homicide rate of 7.2 per 100,000 people as of 2012. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 2.8 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kiribati, road accidents kill 6.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.3 times more home broadband
Kiribati has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Kiribati vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Kiribati? See an in-depth size comparison.