Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Syria 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 Syria, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 6.0 years longer
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Zambia has 3.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Syria has 15.2 as of 2021.
have 14.3% more access to essential health services
Zambia scores 56 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Syria scores 64 as of 2021.
be 91.7% less likely to die by suicide
Zambia has a suicide rate of 7.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Syria, it is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Syria, that number is 33.0% of people as of 2024.
see 49.8% less spent on your healthcare
Zambia spends $244 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Syria spends $122 as of 2023.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Syria, that number is 13.6% as of 2025.
make 19.8% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $1,318 as of 2025, while in Syria, the GDP per capita is $1,057 as of 2022.
Life
be 76.5% 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 Syria, 20.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.6% more likely to be literate
In Zambia, the literacy rate is 71.8% as of 2024. In Syria, it is 94.4% as of 2021.
be 48.8% 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 Syria, on the other hand, 17.7 children do as of 2024.
have 29.2% fewer children
In Zambia, there are approximately 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Syria, there are 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.0% 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 Syria, that number is 88% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 73% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 17.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Syria, about 46.6% do as of 2022.
be 28.2% 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 Syria, that number is 94% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 54.7% less on healthcare
Zambia spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Syria, that number is 2.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 74.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Zambia, road accidents kill 17.1 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Syria, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.7 times more home broadband
Zambia has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Syria has 6.9 as of 2023.
use 17.5% more electricity
Zambia uses 727 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Syria uses 854 kWh as of 2023.
live with 43.8 times more strain on fresh water
Zambia withdraws 3% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Syria withdraws 124% as of 2022.
Environment
be 66.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zambia, air pollution causes 50.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Syria, it causes 83.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Syria emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zambia vs. Syria
Syria: At a glance
How big is Syria compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.