Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 74.5% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 8.9 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
see 43.9% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
have 77.2% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Central African Republic has 0.7 as of 2023.
have 42.9% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
be 28.9% more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 14.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Central African Republic, however, that number is 68.8% as of 2021.
make 57.8% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
have 41.2% more children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Central African Republic, there are 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 8.1 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 Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.9% more 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 65.6% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 19.4% less likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 50.3% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 55.0% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Central African Republic spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 78.3% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.9 times more likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Central African Republic, that number is 20.1 per 100,000 as of 2016.
be 51.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 88.0% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 97.5% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 88.9% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 96.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.