Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 91.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 0.8% of people as of 2024.
be 55.3% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
live 2.7 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 58.9% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 75.9% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Burundi has 0.8 as of 2022.
have 26.8% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 84.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
be 15.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Burundi, however, that number is 51.0% as of 2020.
make 82.3% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.8% 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 Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
be 4.6 times 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 Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 77.3% less 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 Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.7% less likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 10.2% less 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 Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.6% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Burundi spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2025.
spend 52.0% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.5% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
live with 3.6 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 87.0% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 42.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.