Chile vs Zambia
Chile and Zambia are almost exactly the same size.
ChileZambiaChile moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
1.0×
Chile is 1.0× the area of Zambia.
 Chile |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaAbout the same area | 756,102 km²#37 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationZambia: 1.1× the population | 19,859,921#66 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityZambia: 1.11× the density | 26 / km²#159 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationChile: 1.94× the urban share | 89%#21 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZambia: 3.54× the births per woman | 1.14 per woman#183 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthZambia: 2.29 points higher | +0.48%#127 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZambia: 3.76× the birth rate | 8.7 per 1,000#159 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateChile: 1.27× the death rate | 6.6 per 1,000#117 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zambia: 24.5 points higher | 16.5%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Chile: 12.6 points higher | 14.6%#57 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationChile: 2.3 per 1,000 higher | +2.6 per 1,000#33 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadChile: 13.5× the refugees for its size | 0.27 per 1,000#90 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyChile: 14.9 years longer | 81.4 years#34 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityZambia: 5.97× the infant mortality | 5.8 per 1,000 births#138 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsChile: 10.4× the doctors per person | 3.33 per 1,000#52 of 178 · 2023 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 110.2%#5 of 145 · 2024 | — |
| Human Development IndexChile: 0.283 higher | 0.878#44 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaChile: 14.1× the income per person | $16,960#61 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPChile: 12.4× the economy | $357.37B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Chile: 8.63× the output per person | $37,774#57 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZambia: 1.3 points higher | +2.5%#118 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZambia: 9.7 points higher | +4.2%#51 of 176 · 2025 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentChile: 1.53× the unemployment | 9.0%#41 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZambia: 179× the share in extreme poverty | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2024 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 8.5 higher | 43.0#24 of 149 · 2024 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureZambia: 48.4 points higher | 6.1% of jobs#126 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryChile: 11.2 points higher | 21.5% of jobs#67 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesChile: 37.2 points higher | 72.4% of jobs#42 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 0.4 points higher | 4.1% of GDP#48 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsZambia: 0.4 points higher | 34.6% of GDP#88 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingChile: 1.21× the military spending | 1.5% of GDP#87 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersChile: 5.59× the share online | 96%#23 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsChile: 1.22× the mobile subscriptions | 133 per 100#45 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 2.47× the forest share | 25% of land#110 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personChile: 7.3× the CO₂ per person | 3.94 t a year#65 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 58.8 points higher | 24.2%#94 of 190 · 2021 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityChile: 45.4 points higher | 99.0%#112 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Chile: 1.14× the air pollution | 23.1 µg/m³#67 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 19.7 points higher | 21.6% of land#73 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landZambia: 3.2 points higher | 1.9% of land#163 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressChile: 3.21× the water stress | 9.0%#93 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationChile: 1.49× the rain and snow | 1,522 mm#56 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityChile: 0.23 higher | +0.17#89 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionChile: 1.56 higher | +1.10#31 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 6.3 per 100,000#43 of 146 · 2023 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Member of | OECD | — |
| Capital | Santiago | Lusaka |
| Currency | Chilean peso (CLP) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | Spanish | English |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−4, summer time UTC−3 · UTC−6 to UTC−3, 3 time zones | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +56 | +260 |
| Region | South America | Eastern Africa, Africa |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Chile sits at about 36° S and is stretched to 1.53× its true area; Zambia at 13° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Chile bigger than Zambia?
- Yes. Chile and Zambia are almost exactly the same size. Chile covers 756,102 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Zambia fit into Chile?
- About 1.0 times: Chile has 1.0× the area of Zambia.
- Why do Chile and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Chile is drawn about 1.53× its true area there and Zambia about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Chile or Zambia?
- Zambia: 21,913,874 people against 19,859,921. Density: Chile 26 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Chile or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Chile: $16,960 against $1,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 14.1× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Chile or Zambia?
- In Chile: life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years, against 66.5 — 14.9 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Chile and Zambia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).