If you lived in Albania instead of Zambia, you would:

Health

be 98.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.

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live 13.2 years longer

In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 80 years (78 years for men, 82 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 6.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Albania spends $1,465 as of 2023.

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have 5.8 times more doctors per person

Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Albania has 18.8 as of 2020.

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have 14.3% more access to essential health services

Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Albania scores 64 as of 2021.

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be 61.4% less likely to die by suicide

Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Albania, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 2.1 times more likely to be obese

In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 24.1% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 67.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Albania, however, that number is 19.7% as of 2022.

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make 9.9 times more money

Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Albania, the GDP per capita is $12,998 as of 2025.

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be 84.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Albania, that number is 10.9% as of 2025.

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Life

be 91.8% less likely to die during childbirth

In Zambia, approximately 85.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Albania, 7.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 36.1% more likely to be literate

In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Albania, it is 97.7% as of 2023.

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be 76.0% less likely to die during infancy

In Zambia, approximately 34.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Albania, on the other hand, 8.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 69.0% fewer children

In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Albania, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 95.7% more likely to have access to electricity

In Zambia, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 5.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Albania, about 85.9% do as of 2024.

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be 29.6% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Zambia, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Albania, that number is 95% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 24.1% less on education

Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Albania spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 17.9% more on healthcare

Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Albania, that number is 7.0% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 36.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Albania, they kill 10.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 31.5 times more home broadband

Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Albania has 24.9 as of 2024.

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use 4.0 times more electricity

Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Albania uses 2,892 kWh as of 2023.

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live with 68.7% more strain on fresh water

Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Albania withdraws 5% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 18.0% more likely to die from air pollution

In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Albania, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.3 times more CO2

Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Albania emits 1.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Albania: At a glance

Albania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 27,398 sq km. Albania declared its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1912, but was conquered by Italy in 1939, and occupied by Germany in 1943. Communist partisans took over the country in 1944. Albania allied itself first with the USSR (until 1960), and then with China (to 1978). In the early 1990s, Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven challenging as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks, and combative political opponents. Albania has made progress in its democratic development since first holding multiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain. International observers judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997; however, each of Albania's post-communist elections have been marred by claims of electoral fraud. The 2009 general elections resulted in a coalition government, the first such in the country's history. In 2013, general elections achieved a peaceful transition of power and a second successive coalition government. Albania joined NATO in April 2009 and is a potential candidate for EU accession. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, it has slowed, and the country is still one of the poorest in Europe. A large informal economy and an inadequate energy and transportation infrastructure remain obstacles.
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