Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Namibia is 10% bigger than Zambia
Namibia: 824,292 km² (2024) · Zambia: 752,612 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Namibia: 1,572 km (2026 edition) · Zambia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Namibia’s highest peak towers 243 m above Zambia’s
Namibia: 2,573 m (2026 edition) · Zambia: 2,330 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 47% of Namibia, versus 32% of Zambia
Namibia: 47.1% (2024) · Zambia: 32.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Zambia has 7.1 times as many people as Namibia
Namibia: 3.09 million (2025) · Zambia: 21.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Zambia is 7.8 times as densely populated as Namibia
Namibia: 4 per km² (2025) · Zambia: 29 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Namibia are 2.1 cm taller than in Zambia
Namibia: 169.8 cm (2019) · Zambia: 167.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Namibia are 2.9 cm taller than in Zambia
Namibia: 160.3 cm (2019) · Zambia: 157.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Namibia is 3.5 years older than in Zambia
Namibia: 21 years (2023) · Zambia: 17.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Zambia have 0.8 more children on average than in Namibia
Namibia: 3.21 children per woman (2024) · Zambia: 4.04 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.8% of people in Namibia are 65 or older, versus 2.0% in Zambia
Namibia: 3.8% (2025) · Zambia: 2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Zambia hosts 2.1 times as many refugees per resident as Namibia
Namibia: 1.8 per 1,000 (2025) · Zambia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Namibia and Zambia are practically level
Namibia: 0 (2026) · Zambia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Namibia has 9 official languages, Zambia 1
Namibia: 9 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Zambia’s economy is 92% larger than Namibia’s
Namibia: $15.1 billion (2025) · Zambia: $28.9 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Namibia produces 2.7 times as much per person as Zambia
Namibia: Int$11,986 (2025) · Zambia: Int$4,379 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Namibia than in Zambia (Gini 7.6 points higher)
Namibia: 59.1 (2015) · Zambia: 51.5 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Namibia: no data · Zambia: 71.7% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 19% in Namibia, versus 5.9% in Zambia
Namibia: 19.3% (2025) · Zambia: 5.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Namibia spends 2.8% of its GDP on the military, Zambia 1.3%
Namibia: 2.8% (2025) · Zambia: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Namibia’s central government collects 34% of GDP in tax, Zambia’s 19%
Namibia: 33.9% (2024) · Zambia: 18.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Namibia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Zambia’s
Namibia: 41% (2025) · Zambia: 30% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Namibia spends 5 times as much on health per person as Zambia
Namibia: $397 (2023) · Zambia: $80 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Namibia live 0.99 year longer than in Zambia
Namibia: 67.5 years (2024) · Zambia: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Namibia is 5% more likely to die before turning one than in Zambia
Namibia: 36.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Zambia: 34.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Namibia has 71% more doctors per person than Zambia
Namibia: 0.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Zambia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Zambia is 28% higher than in Namibia
Namibia: 16.2 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 20.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
17% of adults in Namibia are obese, versus 10% in Zambia
Namibia: 16.7% (2024) · Zambia: 10.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Namibia: no data · Zambia: 14.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Namibia rate their lives 0.67 points higher than in Zambia
Namibia: 4.78 (2025) · Zambia: 4.11 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Namibia drink 4 times as much alcohol as in Zambia
Namibia: 8.5 litres (2023) · Zambia: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Namibia has 37% more meat per person than Zambia
Namibia: 24.2 kg (2023) · Zambia: 17.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Namibia has 411 kcal more food per person per day than Zambia
Namibia: 2,581 kcal (2023) · Zambia: 2,170 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zambia put in 16 more hours a year than in Namibia
Namibia: 2,184 hours (2023) · Zambia: 2,200 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Zambia went to school 0.12 years longer than in Namibia
Namibia: 7.3 years (2023) · Zambia: 7.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Namibia welcomed 4.3 times as many tourists per resident as Zambia (2019)
Namibia: 0.29 (2023) · Zambia: 0.07 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Namibia has 1 more World Heritage site than Zambia (2 against 1)
Namibia: 2 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Namibia has won 5 Olympic medals, Zambia 3
Namibia: 5 (2026 edition) · Zambia: 3 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
65% of people in Namibia are online, versus 17% in Zambia
Namibia: 65% (2024) · Zambia: 17% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Zambia is 2.7 times as fast as in Namibia
Namibia: 25 Mbps (2026) · Zambia: 69 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
59% of people in Namibia have electricity, versus 54% in Zambia
Namibia: 59.3% (2024) · Zambia: 53.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
51% of people in Namibia live in cities, versus 46% in Zambia
Namibia: 51% (2025) · Zambia: 46% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Zambia has 109 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Namibia 85
Namibia: 85 (2024) · Zambia: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Namibia’s railway network is 2.1 times as long as Zambia’s
Namibia: 2,628 km (2014) · Zambia: 1,248 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Namibia fly 33% more passengers per resident than those from Zambia
Namibia: 0.02 (2023) · Zambia: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 60% of Zambia, but only 9.8% of Namibia
Namibia: 9.8% (2024) · Zambia: 60.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Namibia emits 2 times as much CO₂ as someone in Zambia
Namibia: 1.1 t (2024) · Zambia: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
98% of Namibia’s electricity is renewable, versus 87% in Zambia
Namibia: 97.6% (2024) · Zambia: 87.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Zambia carries 64% more fine dust than in Namibia
Namibia: 15.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Zambia: 25.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 2.2 times as likely to be murdered in Namibia as in Zambia
Namibia: 11.2 per 100k (2021) · Zambia: 5.2 per 100k (2015)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Namibia are 2% deadlier than in Zambia
Namibia: 25.8 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 25.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Zambia is on average 0.2 °C warmer than Namibia
Namibia: 22.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Zambia: 22.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Zambia gets 3.6 times as much rain as Namibia
Namibia: 306 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Zambia: 1,116 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Namibia bigger than Zambia?
Namibia is larger. Namibia is 10% bigger than Zambia.
Which has more people, Namibia or Zambia?
Zambia has 7.1 times as many people as Namibia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Namibia or Zambia?
People in Namibia live 0.99 year longer than in Zambia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.5 years in Namibia and 66.5 in Zambia.
Are people taller in Namibia or Zambia?
Men in Namibia are 2.1 cm taller than in Zambia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
