Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Zambia, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years less
In Zambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (61 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2022.
be 91.4% more likely to be obese
In Zambia, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Zimbabwe, that number is 15.5% of people as of 2016.
Economy
be 24.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Zambia, 15.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2008. In Zimbabwe, that number is 11.3% as of 2014.
be 29.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zambia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 18.2% less money
Zambia has a GDP per capita of $3,300 as of 2020, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $2,700 as of 2020.
pay a 42.9% higher top tax rate
Zambia has a top tax rate of 35.0% as of 2016. In Zimbabwe, the top tax rate is 50.0% as of 2016.
Life
be 23.1% less likely to die during infancy
In Zambia, approximately 37.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, on the other hand, 28.5 children do as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Zambia, approximately 213.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Zimbabwe, 458.0 women do as of 2017.
Basic Needs
be 43.2% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 53% of people on average (89% in urban areas, and 36% in rural areas) as of 2019.
be 45.0% more likely to have internet access
In Zambia, approximately 20.0% of the population has internet access as of 2020. In Zimbabwe, about 29.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 20.0% less on education
Zambia spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Zimbabwe spends 3.6% of total GDP on education as of 2018.
spend 45.3% more on healthcare
Zambia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, that number is 7.7% of GDP as of 2019.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Zambia Revenue Authority, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority.
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Zambia? See an in-depth size comparison.