Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Yemen, you would:
Health
be 13.1% less likely to be obese
In Yemen, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 44.4% more spent on your healthcare
Yemen spends $169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 3.3 times more doctors per person
Yemen has 1.0 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
have 33.3% more access to essential health services
Yemen scores 42 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zambia scores 56 as of 2021.
be 94.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Yemen, 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 2.9 years less
In Yemen, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 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 69.4% more likely to die by suicide
Yemen has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 65.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Yemen, 17.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 28.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Yemen, approximately 118.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 38.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Yemen, approximately 84% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 75% 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.
Expenditures
spend 38.4% less on healthcare
Yemen spends 9.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 17.5% less likely to be murdered
Yemen has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2013. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 42.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Yemen, road accidents kill 29.8 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.3% less strain on fresh water
Yemen withdraws 170% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zambia withdraws 3% as of 2022.
use 8.1 times more electricity
Yemen uses 90 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Zambia uses 727 kWh as of 2023.
find 37.8% less home broadband
Yemen has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 54.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Yemen, air pollution causes 109.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.1 times more CO2
Yemen emits 0.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2013–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Yemen vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Yemen? See an in-depth size comparison.