Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 92.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 0.7% of people as of 2024.
live 4.5 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 80.1% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
be 65.0% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
see 16.9% less spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 36.4% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 13.6% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 69.1% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
be 45.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Zimbabwe, approximately 358.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 44.7% less likely to die during infancy
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
be 32.6% less likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 10.6% less likely to have access to electricity
In Zimbabwe, approximately 62% of people have electricity access (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.3% less likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 17.3% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Zimbabwe, approximately 67% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 6.1 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Ethiopia spends 2.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Safety
be 40.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 30.0% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
find 69.6% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
use 77.7% less electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Ethiopia uses 113 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 17.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 80.5% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.