Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 64.9% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 99.1% more spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
be 94.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 6.0 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
have 78.7% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 12.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 24.7% more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 41.3% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 24.0% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 95.5% more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 42.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 63.3% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 22.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% 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 2.2 times more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 42.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 97.7% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 88.5% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 14.9% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 39.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 57.5% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 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), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.