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

Health

be 89.8% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Zimbabwe, 9.8% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 1.0% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live 13.5 years longer

In Zimbabwe, the average life expectancy is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

see 10.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Zimbabwe spends $103 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

have 4.0 times more doctors per person

Zimbabwe has 1.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

have 49.1% more access to essential health services

Zimbabwe scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

be 11.2% more likely to be obese

In Zimbabwe, 14.7% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 91.6% less likely to be unemployed

In Zimbabwe, 9.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 85.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Zimbabwe, 38.3% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

make 2.7 times more money

Zimbabwe has a GDP per capita of $3,021 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

be 90.5% 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 Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.

View global rankings →

be 87.7% 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

have 72.8% fewer children

In Zimbabwe, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

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

View global rankings →

be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Zimbabwe, approximately 41.6% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Thailand, about 90.9% do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 48.8% 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 Thailand, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 6.6 times more on education

Zimbabwe spends 0.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

View global rankings →

spend 54.9% more on healthcare

Zimbabwe spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 15.1% less likely to die in a road accident

In Zimbabwe, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

find 7.7 times more home broadband

Zimbabwe has 1.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.

View global rankings →

live with 50.1% less strain on fresh water

Zimbabwe withdraws 46% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.

View global rankings →

use 5.9 times more electricity

Zimbabwe uses 504 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Environment

be 48.2% less likely to die from air pollution

In Zimbabwe, air pollution causes 56.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.

View global rankings →

emit 5.1 times more CO2

Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →


Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
Read more

How big is Thailand compared to Zimbabwe? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thailand or Zimbabwe. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.