Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Sudan, you would:
Health
be 34.9% less likely to be obese
In Sudan, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 8.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Sudan spends $28 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 27.3% more access to essential health services
Sudan scores 44 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 47.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sudan, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Sudan has a suicide rate of 3.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Sudan, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 13.2% more money
Sudan has a GDP per capita of $1,165 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 66.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Sudan, approximately 256.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Sudan, approximately 42.9 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 13.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Sudan, approximately 65% of people have access to drinking water (74% in urban areas, and 60% 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.
be 22.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sudan, approximately 66% of people have electricity access (87% in urban areas, and 54% 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 40.4% less likely to have internet access
In Sudan, approximately 28.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Sudan spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Sudan, road accidents kill 19.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 13.2 times more home broadband
Sudan has 0.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 97.6% less strain on fresh water
Sudan withdraws 119% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 3.3 times more electricity
Sudan uses 223 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 28.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Sudan, air pollution causes 70.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.6% more CO2
Sudan emits 0.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2023). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sudan vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Sudan? See an in-depth size comparison.