Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 86.7% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
live 3.0 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.8% less likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
be 72.3% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
have 33.8% fewer doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.9 as of 2023.
have 16.4% less access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
Economy
be 29.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
be 39.4% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Gambia, however, that number is 53.4% as of 2020.
make 69.6% less money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 47.6% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
be 42.4% less likely to be literate
In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 51.6% as of 2021.
Basic Needs
be 18.9% more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 29.6% more 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 7.4 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Gambia spends 2.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 26.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gambia, they kill 22.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 95.2% less strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 73.2% less home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 76.6% less CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 60.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
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. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.