Namibia vs Zambia
Namibia is 10% larger than Zambia.
NamibiaZambiaNamibia moved onto Zambia · Equal-area projection
1.1×
Namibia is 1.1× the area of Zambia.
 Namibia |  Zambia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaNamibia: 1.1× the area | 825,615 km²#34 of 194 | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 4 | 7 |
| People | ||
| PopulationZambia: 7.09× the population | 3,092,816#134 of 194 · 2025 | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityZambia: 7.77× the density | 3.7 / km²#192 of 194 | 29 / km²#153 of 194 |
| Urban populationNamibia: 1.11× the urban share | 51%#131 of 192 · 2025 | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZambia: 1.26× the births per woman | 3.21 per woman#49 of 192 · 2024 | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthZambia: 0.72 points higher | +2.05%#45 of 192 · 2025 | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZambia: 1.26× the birth rate | 25.9 per 1,000#45 of 192 · 2024 | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateNamibia: 1.19× the death rate | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zambia: 4.3 points higher | 36.7%#43 of 192 · 2025 | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Namibia: 1.8 points higher | 3.8%#146 of 192 · 2025 | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNamibia: 0.3 per 1,000 higher | +0.6 per 1,000#55 of 192 · 2025 | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadNamibia: 11× the refugees for its size | 0.22 per 1,000#99 of 190 · 2025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNamibia: 1.0 years longer | 67.5 years#148 of 192 · 2024 | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNamibia: 1.05× the infant mortality | 36.4 per 1,000 births#30 of 191 · 2024 | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsNamibia: 1.72× the doctors per person | 0.55 per 1,000#124 of 178 · 2022 | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | 26.1%#105 of 145 · 2022 | — |
| Human Development IndexNamibia: 0.070 higher | 0.665#133 of 190 · 2023 | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaNamibia: 3.62× the income per person | $4,340#122 of 185 · 2025 | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPZambia: 1.92× the economy | $15.08B2025 | $28.88B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Namibia: 2.74× the output per person | $11,986#121 of 184 · 2025 | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZambia: 2.1 points higher | +1.7%#141 of 187 · 2025 | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZambia: 10.4 points higher | +3.5%#75 of 176 · 2025 | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNamibia: 3.27× the unemployment | 19.3%#7 of 178 · 2025 | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZambia: 3.13× the share in extreme poverty | 22.9%#32 of 149 · 2015 | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Namibia: 7.6 higher | 59.1#1 of 149 · 2015 | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 |
| Jobs in agricultureZambia: 32.2 points higher | 22.3% of jobs#79 of 178 · 2025 | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryNamibia: 6.2 points higher | 16.5% of jobs#124 of 178 · 2025 | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesNamibia: 25.9 points higher | 61.1% of jobs#80 of 178 · 2025 | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentNamibia: 5.1 points higher | 9.6% of GDP#19 of 184 · 2025 | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsNamibia: 9.7 points higher | 44.7% of GDP#56 of 168 · 2025 | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingNamibia: 2.2× the military spending | 2.8% of GDP#35 of 155 · 2025 | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersNamibia: 3.8× the share online | 65%#130 of 184 · 2024 | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 1.28× the mobile subscriptions | 85 per 100#146 of 191 · 2024 | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 6.17× the forest share | 10% of land#155 of 192 · 2024 | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personNamibia: 2.22× the CO₂ per person | 1.20 t a year#123 of 185 · 2024 | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 53.0 points higher | 30.0%#80 of 190 · 2021 | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityNamibia: 5.7 points higher | 59.3%#165 of 192 · 2024 | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Zambia: 1.42× the air pollution | 14.2 µg/m³#123 of 191 · 2023 | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 1.4 points higher | 39.9% of land#9 of 191 · 2025 | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landZambia: 4.1 points higher | 1.0% of land#171 of 190 · 2024 | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressZambia: 9.33× the water stress | 0.3%#168 of 176 · 2022 | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationZambia: 3.58× the rain and snow | 285 mm#154 of 180 · 2022 | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNamibia: 0.80 higher | +0.74#55 of 193 · 2025 | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionNamibia: 0.61 higher | +0.15#73 of 193 · 2025 | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | 11.2 per 100,000#27 of 146 · 2021 | — |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Windhoek | Lusaka |
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR), Namibian dollar (NAD) | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) |
| Official languages | English | English |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +264 | +260 |
| Region | Southern 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. Namibia sits at about 22° S and is stretched to 1.16× 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 Namibia bigger than Zambia?
- Yes. Namibia is 10% larger than Zambia. Namibia covers 825,615 km² and Zambia covers 752,618 km².
- How many times does Zambia fit into Namibia?
- About 1.1 times: Namibia has 1.1× the area of Zambia.
- Why do Namibia and Zambia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Namibia is drawn about 1.16× 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, Namibia or Zambia?
- Zambia: 21,913,874 people against 3,092,816. Density: Namibia 3.7 per km², Zambia 29 per km².
- Which is richer, Namibia or Zambia?
- By gross national income per person, Namibia: $4,340 against $1,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 3.62× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Namibia or Zambia?
- In Namibia: life expectancy at birth is 67.5 years, against 66.5 — 1.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Namibia and Zambia have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).