Zambia vs Zimbabwe: how the neighbours compare
| Indicator | Zambia | Zimbabwe | Ranks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | |||
| Population | 21.9m2025 | 17.0m2025 | 61 · 73 |
| Area | 752,612 km²2024 | 390,760 km²2024 | 38 · 62 |
| Density | 28.72024 | 43.02024 | 175 · 161 |
| Urban share | 45.9%2025 | 40.5%2025 | 159 · 171 |
| Fertility | 4.042024 | 3.672024 | 25 · 37 |
| Aged 65+ | 2.0%2025 | 3.6%2025 | 215 · 177 |
| Economy | |||
| GDP | $28.9bn2025 | $51.2bn2025 | 117 · 97 |
| GDP per capita | $1,3182025 | $3,0212025 | 188 · 164 |
| GDP per capita, PPP | $4,3792025 | $6,4702025 | 173 · 157 |
| GDP growth | 3.8%2025 | 8.1%2025 | 86 · 10 |
| Agriculture share | 4.1%2025 | 9.5%2025 | 113 · 73 |
| Industry share | 35.3%2025 | 37.1%2025 | 31 · 23 |
| Services share | 57.0%2025 | 48.2%2025 | 107 · 155 |
| Prices & public finance | |||
| Inflation | 13.9%2025 | 104.7%2022 | 16 · 3 |
| Tax revenue | 18.8%2024 | — | 53 · — |
| Military spending | 1.26%2025 | 0.56%2025 | 102 · 141 |
| Trade & investment | |||
| Exports | 35.0%2024 | 18.1%2024 | 98 · 153 |
| FDI inflows | 4.5%2025 | 1.9%2025 | 46 · 107 |
| Labour | |||
| Unemployment | 5.9%2025 | 9.3%2025 | 80 · 42 |
| Aid, poverty & equality | |||
| Women in parliament | 15.0%2025 | 30.1%2025 | 148 · 76 |
| Education | |||
| Tertiary enrolment | — | 7.7%2024 | — · 158 |
| Education spending | 4.1%2023 | 0.4%2023 | 98 · 182 |
| Health | |||
| Life expectancy | 66.5 yrs2024 | 63.1 yrs2024 | 181 · 200 |
| Infant mortality | 34.62024 | 62.42024 | 35 · 6 |
| Health spending | 6.0%2023 | 2.9%2023 | 105 · 179 |
| Physicians | 0.322022 | 0.142023 | 138 · 165 |
| Digital & energy access | |||
| Internet users | 17.1%2024 | 41.6%2024 | 181 · 155 |
| Fixed broadband | 0.82024 | 1.92024 | 173 · 158 |
| Electricity access | 53.6%2024 | 62.0%2024 | 197 · 184 |
| Environment | |||
| CO₂ per person | 0.54 t2024 | 0.77 t2024 | 159 · 148 |
| Renewable energy | 83.0%2021 | 82.4%2021 | 11 · 14 |
| Forest cover | 60.5%2024 | 35.7%2024 | 31 · 93 |
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
ZambiaZimbabwe
Life expectancy
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Population
ZambiaZimbabwe
Internet users
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Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
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