Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Turkey, you would:
Health
be 59.7% less likely to be obese
In Turkey, 28.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
live 10.9 years less
In Turkey, the average life expectancy is 77 years (75 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 86.2% less spent on your healthcare
Turkey spends $1,769 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 85.5% fewer doctors per person
Turkey has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 26.3% less access to essential health services
Turkey scores 76 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to die by suicide
Turkey has a suicide rate of 2.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 30.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Turkey, 8.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
be 4.6 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Turkey, 13.0% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
make 92.9% less money
Turkey has a GDP per capita of $18,599 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.0 times more children
In Turkey, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Turkey, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.2% less likely to be literate
In Turkey, the literacy rate is 97.3% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Turkey, approximately 8.0 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 48.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Turkey, 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 81.0% less likely to have internet access
In Turkey, approximately 89.8% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 23.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Turkey, approximately 96% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 94% 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 31.3% more on education
Turkey spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 39.7% more on healthcare
Turkey spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.6 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Turkey, road accidents kill 6.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 94.1% less strain on fresh water
Turkey withdraws 48% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
find 96.6% less home broadband
Turkey has 23.4 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
use 80.5% less electricity
Turkey uses 3,731 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 90.0% less CO2
Turkey emits 5.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 28.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Turkey, air pollution causes 39.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Turkey vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Turkey? See an in-depth size comparison.