Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Rwanda instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 78.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 2.0% of people as of 2024.
live 1.5 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 51.8% less likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Rwanda, that number is 5.6% of people as of 2024.
see 27.4% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Rwanda spends $177 as of 2023.
have 72.2% fewer doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Rwanda has 0.9 as of 2022.
have 12.5% less access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Rwanda scores 49 as of 2021.
be 21.7% more likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Rwanda, it is 8.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 54.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 60.0% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Rwanda, however, that number is 27.4% as of 2023.
be 91.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Rwanda, that number is 11.4% as of 2025.
make 14.7% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Rwanda, the GDP per capita is $1,124 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.0% 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 Rwanda, on the other hand, 29.4 children do as of 2024.
be 2.7 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 Rwanda, 229.0 women do as of 2023.
have 14.2% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Rwanda, there are 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 25.0% 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 Rwanda, that number is 64% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 85.4% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Rwanda, about 31.7% do as of 2024.
be 16.4% 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 Rwanda, that number is 61% of people on average (88% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 14.2% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Rwanda, that number is 5.1% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 13.3% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Rwanda spends 4.6% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 32.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Rwanda, they kill 11.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 24.1% less home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Rwanda has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 7.1 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Rwanda withdraws 20% as of 2022.
use 89.4% less electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Rwanda uses 77 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 70.4% less CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 24.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Rwanda, it causes 62.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Rwanda
Rwanda: At a glance
How big is Rwanda compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.