Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 92.6% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
live 1.1 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 74.8% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
be 14.9% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 64.8% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 55.9% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Ethiopia has 1.4 as of 2023.
have 37.5% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 43.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 44.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 29.2% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
be 2.3 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 Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 15.8% less likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 28.3% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.3% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 43.5% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 53.2% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 65.4% more likely to be murdered
Zambia has a homicide rate of 5.2 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Ethiopia, that number is 8.6 per 100,000 as of 2012.
Infrastructure
find 25.3% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 11.4 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
use 84.5% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 72.2% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2012–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.