Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Nigeria, you would:
Health
live 11.9 years longer
In Nigeria, the average life expectancy is 55 years (54 years for men, 55 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.3% less likely to be obese
In Nigeria, 13.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
have 47.4% more access to essential health services
Nigeria scores 38 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 7.8 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Nigeria, 1.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
have 14.7% fewer doctors per person
Nigeria has 3.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
be 42.9% more likely to die by suicide
Nigeria has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 93.5% more likely to be unemployed
In Nigeria, 3.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 91.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Nigeria, approximately 993.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Nigeria, approximately 69.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 16.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Nigeria, approximately 61% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 33% 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 58.5% less likely to have internet access
In Nigeria, approximately 41.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 10.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Nigeria, approximately 82% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 67% 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 times more on education
Nigeria spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 42.7% more on healthcare
Nigeria spends 4.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 9.9 times more home broadband
Nigeria has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 70.6% less strain on fresh water
Nigeria withdraws 10% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 5.0 times more electricity
Nigeria uses 144 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 35.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nigeria, air pollution causes 77.0 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: Nigeria vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Nigeria? See an in-depth size comparison.