Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
be 98.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zambia, 9.4% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 12.5 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 14.3 times more spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 10.5 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 32.1% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 86.7% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 48.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 26.2 times more money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 91.8% less 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 36.4% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 86.4% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 49.6% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 95.7% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 5.8 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 34.9% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 10.1% more on education
Zambia spends 4.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 55.8 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 16.4 times more electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 343.0 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 82.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 34.2 times more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.