Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Zambia, you would:

Health

be 91.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zambia, 11.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2020. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.9% of people as of 2020.

live 2.0 years longer

In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 44.4% less likely to be obese

In Zambia, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ethiopia, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 56.8% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Zambia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 23.5% as of 2015.

make 30.3% less money

Zambia has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,300 as of 2020.

be 16.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Zambia, 15.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2008. In Ethiopia, that number is 17.5% as of 2012.

Life

be 88.3% more likely to die during childbirth

In Zambia, approximately 213.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Ethiopia, 401.0 women do as of 2017.

be 40.3% less likely to be literate

In Zambia, the literacy rate is 86.7% as of 2018. In Ethiopia, it is 51.8% as of 2017.

have 12.5% fewer children

In Zambia, there are approximately 34.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Ethiopia, there are 30.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 27.0% more likely to have access to electricity

In Zambia, approximately 37% of people have electricity access (76% in urban areas, and 6% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Ethiopia, that number is 47% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2019.

be 20.0% more likely to have internet access

In Zambia, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Ethiopia, about 24.0% do as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 39.6% less on healthcare

Zambia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.2% of GDP as of 2019.

spend 13.3% more on education

Zambia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Ethiopia spends 5.1% of total GDP on education as of 2018.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
Read more

How big is Ethiopia compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Ethiopia.or Zambia It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.