Zambia vs Botswana: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | Zambia | Botswana | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 21.9m2025 | 2.6m2025 | 61 · 143 |
| Area | 752,612 km²2024 | 581,730 km²2024 | 38 · 49 |
| Density | 28.72024 | 4.42024 | 175 · 208 |
| Urban share | 45.9%2025 | 68.0%2025 | 159 · 98 |
| Fertility | 4.042024 | 2.702024 | 25 · 65 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.0%2025 | 4.1%2025 | 215 · 164 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $28.9bn2025 | $19.9bn2025 | 117 · 135 |
| GDP per capita | $1,3182025 | $7,7782025 | 188 · 117 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $4,3792025 | $20,6982025 | 173 · 103 |
| GDP growth | 3.8%2025 | -0.7%2025 | 86 · 198 |
| Agriculture share | 4.1%2025 | 1.8%2025 | 113 · 150 |
| Industry share | 35.3%2025 | 27.9%2025 | 31 · 64 |
| Services share | 57.0%2025 | 64.6%2025 | 107 · 57 |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 13.9%2025 | 2.7%2025 | 16 · 99 |
| Tax revenue | 18.8%2024 | 22.4%2023 | 53 · 33 |
| Military spending | 1.26%2025 | 3.11%2025 | 102 · 28 |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | 35.0%2024 | 32.0%2025 | 98 · 105 |
| FDI inflows | 4.5%2025 | -3.3%2025 | 46 · 193 |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 5.9%2025 | 24.5%2025 | 80 · 4 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 15.0%2025 | 9.0%2025 | 148 · 172 |
| Education | |||
| Tertiary enrolment | — | 21.4%2024 | — · 127 |
| Education spending | 4.1%2023 | 8.1%2020 | 98 · 8 |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 66.5 yrs2024 | 69.3 yrs2024 | 181 · 158 |
| Infant mortality | 34.62024 | 32.12024 | 35 · 43 |
| Health spending | 6.0%2023 | 6.3%2023 | 105 · 99 |
| Physicians | 0.322022 | 0.382023 | 138 · 136 |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 17.1%2024 | 57.5%2024 | 181 · 142 |
| Fixed broadband | 0.82024 | 7.42024 | 173 · 128 |
| Electricity access | 53.6%2024 | 80.2%2024 | 197 · 171 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 0.54 t2024 | 2.74 t2024 | 159 · 98 |
| Renewable energy | 83.0%2021 | 27.4%2021 | 11 · 88 |
| Forest cover | 60.5%2024 | 27.8%2024 | 31 · 115 |
Higher value in each row is highlighted; it is not always the better one (think inflation or emissions). Ranks are world positions.
GDP per capita
ZambiaBotswana
Life expectancy
ZambiaBotswana
Population
ZambiaBotswana
Internet users
ZambiaBotswana
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
more head-to-heads