Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Tanzania is 26% bigger than Zambia
Tanzania: 945,500 km² (2024) · Zambia: 752,612 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Tanzania: 1,424 km (2026 edition) · Zambia: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Tanzania’s highest peak towers 3,565 m above Zambia’s
Tanzania: 5,895 m (2026 edition) · Zambia: 2,330 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 45% of Tanzania, versus 32% of Zambia
Tanzania: 45.1% (2024) · Zambia: 32.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Zambia
Tanzania: 70.5 million (2025) · Zambia: 21.9 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tanzania is 2.7 times as densely populated as Zambia
Tanzania: 80 per km² (2025) · Zambia: 29 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Zambia and Tanzania are practically level
Tanzania: 167 cm (2019) · Zambia: 167.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Zambia and Tanzania are practically level
Tanzania: 156.9 cm (2019) · Zambia: 157.3 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Zambia is 0.25 years older than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 17.2 years (2023) · Zambia: 17.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Tanzania have 0.5 more children on average than in Zambia
Tanzania: 4.54 children per woman (2024) · Zambia: 4.04 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.0% of people in Tanzania are 65 or older, versus 2.0% in Zambia
Tanzania: 3% (2025) · Zambia: 2% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Zambia hosts 57% more refugees per resident than Tanzania
Tanzania: 2.4 per 1,000 (2025) · Zambia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Tanzania and Zambia are practically level
Tanzania: 0 (2026) · Zambia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Tanzania has 2 official languages, Zambia 1
Tanzania: 2 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Tanzania’s economy is 3.1 times the size of Zambia’s
Tanzania: $90.1 billion (2025) · Zambia: $28.9 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Tanzania produces 2% more per person than Zambia
Tanzania: Int$4,471 (2025) · Zambia: Int$4,379 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Zambia than in Tanzania (Gini 11 points higher)
Tanzania: 40.5 (2018) · Zambia: 51.5 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
72% of people in Zambia live on less than $3 a day, versus 51% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 51.3% (2018) · Zambia: 71.7% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.9% in Zambia, versus 1.6% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 1.6% (2025) · Zambia: 5.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Zambia and Tanzania are practically level
Tanzania: 1.2% (2025) · Zambia: 1.3% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Zambia’s central government collects 19% of GDP in tax, Tanzania’s 12%
Tanzania: 12.3% (2024) · Zambia: 18.8% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Zambia’s price level (US = 100) is 1× Tanzania’s
Tanzania: 29% (2025) · Zambia: 30% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Zambia spends 2.2 times as much on health per person as Tanzania
Tanzania: $36 (2023) · Zambia: $80 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Tanzania live 0.68 years longer than in Zambia
Tanzania: 67.2 years (2024) · Zambia: 66.5 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Zambia is 21% more likely to die before turning one than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 28.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Zambia: 34.6 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Zambia has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Tanzania
Tanzania: 0.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Zambia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022)
How many hospital beds are there?
Tanzania: 0.8 per 1,000 (2022) · Zambia: no data
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Zambia is 39% higher than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 14.9 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 20.7 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
Tanzania and Zambia are practically level
Tanzania: 10.5% (2024) · Zambia: 10.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
14% of adults in Zambia smoke, versus 7.7% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 7.7% (2024) · Zambia: 14.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Zambia rate their lives 0.20 points higher than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 3.90 (2025) · Zambia: 4.11 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Zambia drink 42% more alcohol than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 1.5 litres (2023) · Zambia: 2.1 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Zambia has 45% more meat per person than Tanzania
Tanzania: 12.2 kg (2023) · Zambia: 17.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Tanzania has 349 kcal more food per person per day than Zambia
Tanzania: 2,518 kcal (2023) · Zambia: 2,170 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zambia put in 71 more hours a year than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 2,129 hours (2023) · Zambia: 2,200 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Zambia went to school 1.3 years longer than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 6.1 years (2023) · Zambia: 7.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Zambia welcomed 3 times as many tourists per resident as Tanzania (2019)
Tanzania: 0.02 (2022) · Zambia: 0.07 (2019)
How many World Heritage sites?
Tanzania has 6 more World Heritage sites than Zambia (7 against 1)
Tanzania: 7 (2026) · Zambia: 1 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Zambia has won 3 Olympic medals, Tanzania 2
Tanzania: 2 (2026 edition) · Zambia: 3 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
31% of people in Tanzania are online, versus 17% in Zambia
Tanzania: 31% (2024) · Zambia: 17% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Zambia is 23% faster than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 56 Mbps (2026) · Zambia: 69 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
54% of people in Zambia have electricity, versus 52% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 52.4% (2024) · Zambia: 53.6% (2024)
How many live in cities?
46% of people in Zambia live in cities, versus 37% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 37% (2025) · Zambia: 46% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Tanzania has 127 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Zambia 109
Tanzania: 127 (2024) · Zambia: 109 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Tanzania’s railway network is 2.2 times as long as Zambia’s
Tanzania: 2,701 km (2017) · Zambia: 1,248 km (2019)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Tanzania fly 85% more passengers per resident than those from Zambia
Tanzania: 0.03 (2023) · Zambia: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 60% of Zambia, but only 50% of Tanzania
Tanzania: 49.6% (2024) · Zambia: 60.5% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Zambia emits 94% more CO₂ than someone in Tanzania
Tanzania: 0.3 t (2024) · Zambia: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Zambia’s electricity is renewable, versus 33% in Tanzania
Tanzania: 32.9% (2024) · Zambia: 87.5% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Zambia carries 3% more fine dust than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 24.6 µg/m³ (2024) · Zambia: 25.4 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 39% more likely to be murdered in Zambia than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 3.7 per 100k (2020) · Zambia: 5.2 per 100k (2015)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Zambia are 25% deadlier than in Tanzania
Tanzania: 20.1 per 100k (2023) · Zambia: 25.2 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Tanzania is on average 0.8 °C warmer than Zambia
Tanzania: 23.1°C (2016–2025 avg) · Zambia: 22.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Zambia gets 1% more rain than Tanzania
Tanzania: 1,102 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 Tanzania bigger than Zambia?
Tanzania is larger. Tanzania is 26% bigger than Zambia.
Which has more people, Tanzania or Zambia?
Tanzania has 3.2 times as many people as Zambia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Tanzania or Zambia?
People in Tanzania live 0.68 years longer than in Zambia. Life expectancy at birth is 67.2 years in Tanzania and 66.5 in Zambia.
Are people taller in Tanzania or Zambia?
Zambia and Tanzania are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).