Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Swaziland, you would:
Health
be 59.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Swaziland, 23.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 2.3 years longer
In Swaziland, the average life expectancy is 64 years (61 years for men, 67 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 60.9% less likely to be obese
In Swaziland, 29.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 73.8% less likely to die by suicide
Swaziland has a suicide rate of 27.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 73.6% less spent on your healthcare
Swaziland spends $922 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 41.8% fewer doctors per person
Swaziland has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 82.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Swaziland, 34.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 12.1% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Swaziland, 53.5% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 67.9% less money
Swaziland has a GDP per capita of $4,108 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 28.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Swaziland, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 18.0% less likely to die during infancy
In Swaziland, approximately 42.2 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 38.4% more children
In Swaziland, there are approximately 23.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 20.9% less likely to be literate
In Swaziland, the literacy rate is 90.8% as of 2022. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 40.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Swaziland, approximately 86% of people have electricity access (91% in urban areas, and 85% 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 73.0% less likely to have internet access
In Swaziland, approximately 63.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.5% less on education
Swaziland spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 20.3% less on healthcare
Swaziland spends 7.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 30.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Swaziland, road accidents kill 24.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 96.3% less strain on fresh water
Swaziland withdraws 78% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 68.5% less home broadband
Swaziland has 2.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 39.4% less electricity
Swaziland uses 1,200 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 24.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Swaziland, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 38.6% less CO2
Swaziland emits 0.9 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 (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Swaziland vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Swaziland? See an in-depth size comparison.