Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 90.4% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2024.
live 9.7 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 2.5 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cabo Verde spends $617 as of 2023.
have 2.3 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Cabo Verde has 7.3 as of 2023.
have 26.8% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cabo Verde scores 71 as of 2021.
be 44.5% more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 16.7% of people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 58.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, however, that number is 24.8% as of 2023.
make 4.4 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Cabo Verde, the GDP per capita is $5,796 as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.9% as of 2025.
Life
be 52.9% 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 Cabo Verde, 40.0 women do as of 2023.
be 23.3% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, it is 88.5% as of 2024.
be 69.4% 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 Cabo Verde, on the other hand, 10.6 children do as of 2024.
have 62.7% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 93.0% 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 99% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 4.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, about 74.7% do as of 2024.
be 25.7% 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 86% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Infrastructure
find 10.5 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Cabo Verde has 8.3 as of 2024.
live with 21.0 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cabo Verde withdraws 60% as of 2022.
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 Cabo Verde, it causes 59.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Cabo Verde
Cabo Verde: At a glance
How big is Cabo Verde compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.