Zambia vs Namibia: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | Zambia | Namibia | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 21.9m2025 | 3.1m2025 | 61 · 136 |
| Area | 752,612 km²2024 | 824,292 km²2024 | 38 · 33 |
| Density | 28.72024 | 3.72024 | 175 · 213 |
| Urban share | 45.9%2025 | 50.9%2025 | 159 · 154 |
| Fertility | 4.042024 | 3.212024 | 25 · 50 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.0%2025 | 3.8%2025 | 215 · 171 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $28.9bn2025 | $15.1bn2025 | 117 · 146 |
| GDP per capita | $1,3182025 | $4,8762025 | 188 · 142 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $4,3792025 | $11,9862025 | 173 · 134 |
| GDP growth | 3.8%2025 | 1.7%2025 | 86 · 157 |
| Agriculture share | 4.1%2025 | 7.0%2025 | 113 · 91 |
| Industry share | 35.3%2025 | 28.9%2025 | 31 · 59 |
| Services share | 57.0%2025 | 55.0%2025 | 107 · 121 |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 13.9%2025 | 3.5%2025 | 16 · 79 |
| Tax revenue | 18.8%2024 | 33.9%2024 | 53 · 2 |
| Military spending | 1.26%2025 | 2.77%2025 | 102 · 35 |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | 35.0%2024 | 44.7%2025 | 98 · 65 |
| FDI inflows | 4.5%2025 | 9.6%2025 | 46 · 22 |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 5.9%2025 | 19.3%2025 | 80 · 8 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 15.0%2025 | 42.3%2025 | 148 · 21 |
| Education | |||
| Tertiary enrolment | — | 26.1%2022 | — · 117 |
| Education spending | 4.1%2023 | 9.1%2024 | 98 · 4 |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 66.5 yrs2024 | 67.5 yrs2024 | 181 · 172 |
| Infant mortality | 34.62024 | 36.42024 | 35 · 30 |
| Health spending | 6.0%2023 | 9.5%2023 | 105 · 35 |
| Physicians | 0.322022 | 0.552022 | 138 · 127 |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 17.1%2024 | 64.9%2024 | 181 · 134 |
| Fixed broadband | 0.82024 | 2.82024 | 173 · 153 |
| Electricity access | 53.6%2024 | 59.3%2024 | 197 · 188 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 0.54 t2024 | 1.20 t2024 | 159 · 135 |
| Renewable energy | 83.0%2021 | 30.0%2021 | 11 · 80 |
| Forest cover | 60.5%2024 | 9.8%2024 | 31 · 168 |
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
ZambiaNamibia
Life expectancy
ZambiaNamibia
Population
ZambiaNamibia
Internet users
ZambiaNamibia
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
more head-to-heads