Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Sweden, you would:
Health
be 16.0% less likely to be obese
In Sweden, 17.5% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 14.7% of people as of 2024.
be 98.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Sweden, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 21.0 years less
In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 84 years (83 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.7% less spent on your healthcare
Sweden spends $7,770 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 96.9% fewer doctors per person
Sweden has 44.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 35.3% less access to essential health services
Sweden scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 25.3% more likely to die by suicide
Sweden has a suicide rate of 13.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.4 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 95.2% less money
Sweden has a GDP per capita of $63,133 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Sweden, there are approximately 9.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 89.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Sweden, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Sweden, approximately 2.0 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.
Basic Needs
be 38.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 56.5% less likely to have internet access
In Sweden, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 32.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Sweden, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 94.8% less on education
Sweden spends 7.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 73.9% less on healthcare
Sweden spends 11.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 5.9 times more likely to be murdered
Sweden has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2022.
be 14.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Sweden, road accidents kill 2.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.2% less home broadband
Sweden has 40.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 12.9 times more strain on fresh water
Sweden withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
use 95.9% less electricity
Sweden uses 12,226 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 78.4% less CO2
Sweden emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
be 7.0 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Sweden, air pollution causes 8.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Sweden vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.