Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Zimbabwe, you would:
Health
be 99.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 15.9 years longer
In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 33.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 25.0 times more doctors per person
Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 34.1 as of 2023.
have 34.5% more access to essential health services
Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 94.5% less likely to die by suicide
Zimbabwe has a suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 67.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 11.4 times more money
Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.0% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 92.5% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 44.8% fewer children
In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 47.4% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 11.8 times more on education
Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Saudi Arabia spends 4.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 94.2% more on healthcare
Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 86.1% less likely to be murdered
Zimbabwe has a homicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, they kill 18.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 22.7 times more home broadband
Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
use 23.6 times more electricity
Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Saudi Arabia uses 11,911 kWh as of 2023.
live with 21.1 times more strain on fresh water
Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 24.0 times more CO2
Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Zimbabwe vs. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.