Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 55.4% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% 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 Syria, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
live 9.5 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 15.8% less spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 91.1% fewer doctors per person
Syria has 15.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zimbabwe has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 14.1% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 29.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 31.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
make 2.9 times more money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
have 29.1% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 17.9 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 3.5 times 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 Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 62.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 29.9% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 10.6% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 28.6% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Infrastructure
live with 62.9% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
find 71.7% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
use 41.0% less electricity
Syria uses 854 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 32.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 39.4% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 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. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.