Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 86.2% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
be 32.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 61.4% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 72.2% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 17.9% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 11.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
be 10.1% more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 30.3% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 4.2 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.0% less likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 30.9% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 18.6% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 31.0% less on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 51.7% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 22.2% less strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 34.2% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.7% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 80.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.