Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 63.3% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 22.1% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Zambia, that number is 8.1% of people as of 2016.
live 15.6 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (79 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2022. In Zambia, that number is 66 years (65 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
pay a 34.8% lower top tax rate
Belgium has a top tax rate of 53.7% as of 2016. In Zambia, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.
make 94.2% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $63,600 as of 2023, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $3,700 as of 2023.
be 4.9 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Zambia, however, that number is 60.0% as of 2022.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 34.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 27.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Zambia, 135.0 women do as of 2020.
be 11.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Zambia, on the other hand, 37.1 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 52.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belgium, approximately 100% of the population has electricity access as of 2022. In Zambia, 48% of the population do as of 2022.
be 76.9% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Zambia, about 21.0% do as of 2021.
be 28.4% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In Belgium, approximately 100% of people have improved drinking water access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Zambia, that number is 72% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 44.8% less on education
Belgium spends 6.7% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Zambia spends 3.7% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 49.5% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 11.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Zambia, that number is 5.6% of GDP as of 2020.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: Service Public Fédéral Finances, The World Factbook, Zambia Revenue Authority.
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.