Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Mali, you would:
Health
live 2.4 years longer
In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
have 34.1% more access to essential health services
Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 12.2 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Mali, 0.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
be 10.7% more likely to be obese
In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
have 27.7% fewer doctors per person
Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
be 4.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 2.5 times more money
Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mali, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
Life
be 2.5 times more likely to be literate
In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
be 31.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Mali, approximately 47.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
have 24.4% fewer children
In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 13.8% more likely to have access to electricity
In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 13.2% more likely to have internet access
In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 22.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 90.9% less on education
Mali spends 4.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 23.1% less on healthcare
Mali spends 3.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.5 times more home broadband
Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 5.8 times more strain on fresh water
Mali withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 13.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.6 times more CO2
Mali emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Mali vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.