Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
be 47.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Timor-Leste, 0.2% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 9.4% of people as of 2024.
live 1.4 years less
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 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 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 47.1% less spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 56.9% fewer doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 55.7% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
have 50.3% more children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Timor-Leste, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 58.0% less likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 15.9% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% 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 22.3% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 37.7% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 27.8% more likely to be murdered
Timor-Leste has a homicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 42.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 79.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
live with 90.0% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
Environment
be 18.0% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.