Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bangladesh 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 Bangladesh, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 8.4 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Bangladesh, that number is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
be 50.3% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bangladesh, that number is 5.8% of people as of 2024.
have 2.2 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Bangladesh has 7.2 as of 2023.
be 60.6% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bangladesh, it is 2.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 18.6% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bangladesh spends $199 as of 2023.
Economy
be 36.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bangladesh, that number is 3.8% as of 2025.
be 68.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Bangladesh, however, that number is 18.7% as of 2022.
make 97.1% more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Bangladesh, the GDP per capita is $2,597 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.1% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Bangladesh, it is 79.0% as of 2022.
be 29.5% 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 Bangladesh, on the other hand, 24.4 children do as of 2024.
be 35.3% more 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 Bangladesh, 115.0 women do as of 2023.
have 38.9% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bangladesh, there are 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 94.7% 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 Bangladesh, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Bangladesh, about 53.4% do as of 2024.
be 34.6% 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 Bangladesh, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 50.1% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Bangladesh spends 2.0% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 63.7% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bangladesh, that number is 2.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 55.0% less likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Bangladesh, that number is 2.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
Infrastructure
find 10.2 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Bangladesh has 8.1 as of 2024.
live with 2.0 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Bangladesh withdraws 6% as of 2022.
use 17.0% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Bangladesh uses 603 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 32.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bangladesh, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.3% more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Bangladesh
Bangladesh: At a glance
How big is Bangladesh compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.