If you lived in Italy instead of Zimbabwe, you would:

Health

be 96.9% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 0.3% of people as of 2024.

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live 20.9 years longer

In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 48.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 30.8 times more doctors per person

Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Italy has 41.9 as of 2022.

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have 52.7% more access to essential health services

Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 59.7% less likely to die by suicide

Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 31.2% less likely to be unemployed

In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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be 47.5% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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make 14.3 times more money

Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.3% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 10.8% more likely to be literate

In Zimbabwe, the literacy rate is 89.7% as of 2021. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 96.3% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 78.9% fewer children

In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 61.3% more 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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 48.7% 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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 10.7 times more on education

Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Italy spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 2.9 times more on healthcare

Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Safety

be 91.6% less likely to be murdered

Zimbabwe has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Italy, that number is 0.6 per 100,000 as of 2023.

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be 83.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 16.4 times more home broadband

Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 35.4% less strain on fresh water

Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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use 10.2 times more electricity

Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Italy uses 5,137 kWh as of 2024.

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Environment

be 73.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 6.6 times more CO2

Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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