Mozambique vs Zambia
Mozambique is 7% larger than Zambia.
MozambiqueZambiaMozambique moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
1.07×
Mozambique is 1.07× the area of Zambia.
 Mozambique |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMozambique: 1.07× the area | 801,590 km²#35 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 6 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMozambique: 1.63× the population | 35,631,653#46 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMozambique: 1.53× the density | 44 / km²#139 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationZambia: 1.23× the urban share | 37%#154 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMozambique: 1.16× the births per woman | 4.69 per woman#10 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMozambique: 0.08 points higher | +2.85%#17 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMozambique: 1.13× the birth rate | 37.0 per 1,000#8 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMozambique: 1.33× the death rate | 6.9 per 1,000#110 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Mozambique: 3.2 points higher | 44.2%#7 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Mozambique: 0.7 points higher | 2.7%#176 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 2.1 per 1,000 higher | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,000#174 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyZambia: 2.7 years longer | 63.8 years#171 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityMozambique: 1.26× the infant mortality | 43.7 per 1,000 births#19 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsZambia: 1.78× the doctors per person | 0.18 per 1,000#153 of 178 · 2022 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| Human Development IndexZambia: 0.102 higher | 0.493#179 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaZambia: 2.11× the income per person | $570#181 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPZambia: 1.29× the economy | $22.34B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Low income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Zambia: 2.58× the output per person | $1,698#181 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZambia: 4.3 points higher | −0.5%#176 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZambia: 9.5 points higher | +4.4%#47 of 176 · 2025 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMozambique: 1.12× the unemployment | 6.6%#63 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyMozambique: 1.14× the share in extreme poverty | 81.4%#2 of 149 · 2022 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 1.9 higher | 49.6#11 of 149 · 2022 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureMozambique: 18.5 points higher | 73.0% of jobs#2 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryZambia: 3.9 points higher | 6.4% of jobs#174 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 14.6 points higher | 20.6% of jobs#174 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMozambique: 21.3 points higher | 25.8% of GDP#7 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMozambique: 6.4 points higher | 41.4% of GDP#66 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingMozambique: 1.48× the military spending | 1.9% of GDP#72 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMozambique: 1.2× the share online | 21%#172 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 2.18× the mobile subscriptions | 50 per 100#182 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 1.46× the forest share | 41% of land#64 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZambia: 1.86× the CO₂ per person | 0.29 t a year#163 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 6.1 points higher | 76.9%#21 of 190 · 2021 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityZambia: 16.7 points higher | 36.9%#183 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Zambia: 1.47× the air pollution | 13.7 µg/m³#128 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 11.8 points higher | 29.5% of land#36 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landMozambique: 5.4 points higher | 10.5% of land#96 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressZambia: 1.56× the water stress | 1.8%#151 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationAbout the same rain and snow | 1,032 mm#90 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 1.60 higher | −1.66#175 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionZambia: 0.64 higher | −1.10#161 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Maputo | Lusaka |
| Currency | Mozambican metical (MZN) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | Portuguese | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +258 | +260 |
| Region | Eastern Africa, Africa | 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. Mozambique sits at about 17° S and is stretched to 1.1× 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 Mozambique bigger than Zambia?
- Yes. Mozambique is 7% larger than Zambia. Mozambique covers 801,590 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Zambia fit into Mozambique?
- About 1.1 times: Mozambique has 1.07× the area of Zambia.
- Why do Mozambique and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Mozambique is drawn about 1.1× 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, Mozambique or Zambia?
- Mozambique: 35,631,653 people against 21,913,874. Density: Mozambique 44 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Mozambique or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Zambia: $1,200 against $570 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.11× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Mozambique or Zambia?
- In Zambia: life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years, against 63.8 — 2.7 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Mozambique and Zambia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).