Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Zambia is 93% bigger than Zimbabwe
Zambia: 752,612 km² (2024) · Zimbabwe: 390,760 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Zambia: 0 km (2026 edition) · Zimbabwe: 0 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Zimbabwe’s highest peak towers 262 m above Zambia’s
Zambia: 2,330 m (2026 edition) · Zimbabwe: 2,592 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 48% of Zimbabwe, versus 32% of Zambia
Zambia: 32.1% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 48.1% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Zambia has 29% more people than Zimbabwe
Zambia: 21.9 million (2025) · Zimbabwe: 17 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Zimbabwe is 49% more densely populated than Zambia
Zambia: 29 per km² (2025) · Zimbabwe: 44 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Zimbabwe are 3.1 cm taller than in Zambia
Zambia: 167.6 cm (2019) · Zimbabwe: 170.7 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Zimbabwe are 2.5 cm taller than in Zambia
Zambia: 157.3 cm (2019) · Zimbabwe: 159.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Zimbabwe is 0.32 years older than in Zambia
Zambia: 17.5 years (2023) · Zimbabwe: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Zambia have 0.4 more children on average than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 4.04 children per woman (2024) · Zimbabwe: 3.67 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
3.6% of people in Zimbabwe are 65 or older, versus 2.0% in Zambia
Zambia: 2% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 3.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Zambia hosts 7.5 times as many refugees per resident as Zimbabwe
Zambia: 3.8 per 1,000 (2025) · Zimbabwe: 0.5 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Zimbabwe has produced 0.6 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Zambia none
Zambia: 0 (2026) · Zimbabwe: 0.6 (2026)
How many official languages?
Zimbabwe has 15 official languages, Zambia 1
Zambia: 1 (2026) · Zimbabwe: 15 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Zimbabwe’s economy is 77% larger than Zambia’s
Zambia: $28.9 billion (2025) · Zimbabwe: $51.2 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Zimbabwe produces 48% more per person than Zambia
Zambia: Int$4,379 (2025) · Zimbabwe: Int$6,470 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Zambia than in Zimbabwe (Gini 1.2 points higher)
Zambia: 51.5 (2022) · Zimbabwe: 50.3 (2019)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
72% of people in Zambia live on less than $3 a day, versus 49% in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 71.7% (2022) · Zimbabwe: 49.2% (2019)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 9.3% in Zimbabwe, versus 5.9% in Zambia
Zambia: 5.9% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 9.3% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Zambia spends 1.3% of its GDP on the military, Zimbabwe 0.6%
Zambia: 1.3% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 0.6% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Zambia’s central government collects 19% of GDP in tax, Zimbabwe’s 7.2%
Zambia: 18.8% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 7.2% (2018)
How expensive is it?
Zimbabwe’s price level (US = 100) is 1.6× Zambia’s
Zambia: 30% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 47% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Zambia spends 26% more on health per person than Zimbabwe
Zambia: $80 (2023) · Zimbabwe: $63 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Zambia live 3.5 years longer than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 66.5 years (2024) · Zimbabwe: 63.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Zimbabwe is 80% more likely to die before turning one than in Zambia
Zambia: 34.6 per 1,000 (2024) · Zimbabwe: 62.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Zambia has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Zimbabwe
Zambia: 0.3 per 1,000 (2022) · Zimbabwe: 0.1 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Zambia is 37% higher than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 20.7 per 100k (2023) · Zimbabwe: 15.1 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Zimbabwe are obese, versus 10% in Zambia
Zambia: 10.1% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 13.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
14% of adults in Zambia smoke, versus 11% in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 14.3% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 11% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Zambia rate their lives 0.76 points higher than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 4.11 (2025) · Zimbabwe: 3.35 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Zimbabwe drink 2.5 times as much alcohol as in Zambia
Zambia: 2.1 litres (2023) · Zimbabwe: 5.4 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Zimbabwe has 3.3 times as much meat per person as Zambia
Zambia: 17.6 kg (2023) · Zimbabwe: 57.6 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Zimbabwe has 224 kcal more food per person per day than Zambia
Zambia: 2,170 kcal (2023) · Zimbabwe: 2,393 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Zimbabwe put in 111 more hours a year than in Zambia
Zambia: 2,200 hours (2023) · Zimbabwe: 2,311 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Zimbabwe went to school 1.5 years longer than in Zambia
Zambia: 7.4 years (2023) · Zimbabwe: 8.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Zambia: 0.07 (2019) · Zimbabwe: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Zimbabwe has 4 more World Heritage sites than Zambia (5 against 1)
Zambia: 1 (2026) · Zimbabwe: 5 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Zimbabwe has won 8 Olympic medals, Zambia 3
Zambia: 3 (2026 edition) · Zimbabwe: 8 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
42% of people in Zimbabwe are online, versus 17% in Zambia
Zambia: 17% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 42% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Zambia is 49% faster than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 69 Mbps (2026) · Zimbabwe: 46 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
62% of people in Zimbabwe have electricity, versus 54% in Zambia
Zambia: 53.6% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 62% (2024)
How many live in cities?
46% of people in Zambia live in cities, versus 40% in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 46% (2025) · Zimbabwe: 40% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Zambia has 109 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Zimbabwe 94
Zambia: 109 (2024) · Zimbabwe: 94 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Zimbabwe’s railway network is 2.5 times as long as Zambia’s
Zambia: 1,248 km (2019) · Zimbabwe: 3,120 km (2020)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Zambia fly 2.7 times as many passengers per resident as those from Zimbabwe
Zambia: 0.01 (2023) · Zimbabwe: 0.01 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 60% of Zambia, but only 36% of Zimbabwe
Zambia: 60.5% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 35.7% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Zimbabwe emits 46% more CO₂ than someone in Zambia
Zambia: 0.6 t (2024) · Zimbabwe: 0.8 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
87% of Zambia’s electricity is renewable, versus 57% in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 87.5% (2024) · Zimbabwe: 57.1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Zambia carries 26% more fine dust than in Zimbabwe
Zambia: 25.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Zimbabwe: 20.1 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 30% more likely to be murdered in Zimbabwe than in Zambia
Zambia: 5.2 per 100k (2015) · Zimbabwe: 6.8 per 100k (2022)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Zimbabwe are 81% deadlier than in Zambia
Zambia: 25.2 per 100k (2023) · Zimbabwe: 45.6 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Zambia is on average 0.3 °C warmer than Zimbabwe
Zambia: 22.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Zimbabwe: 22°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Zambia gets 49% more rain than Zimbabwe
Zambia: 1,116 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Zimbabwe: 751 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Zambia bigger than Zimbabwe?
Zambia is larger. Zambia is 93% bigger than Zimbabwe.
Which has more people, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
Zambia has 29% more people than Zimbabwe (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
People in Zambia live 3.5 years longer than in Zimbabwe. Life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years in Zambia and 63.1 in Zimbabwe.
Are people taller in Zambia or Zimbabwe?
Men in Zimbabwe are 3.1 cm taller than in Zambia (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).