Zambia vs Zimbabwe
Zambia is 93% larger than Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe would fit into Zambia about 1.9 times.
ZambiaZimbabweZambia moved onto Zimbabwe · Equal-area projection
1.93×
Zambia is 1.93× the area of Zimbabwe.
 Zambia |  Zimbabwe | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaZambia: 1.93× the area | 752,618 km²#38 of 194 | 390,757 km²#60 of 194 |
| Coastline | Landlocked | Landlocked |
| Land neighbours | 7 | 4 |
| People | ||
| PopulationZambia: 1.29× the population | 21,913,874#62 of 194 · 2025 | 16,950,795#74 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityZimbabwe: 1.49× the density | 29 / km²#153 of 194 | 43 / km²#142 of 194 |
| Urban populationZambia: 1.13× the urban share | 46%#135 of 192 · 2025 | 41%#148 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateZambia: 1.1× the births per woman | 4.04 per woman#25 of 192 · 2024 | 3.67 per woman#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthZambia: 0.89 points higher | +2.77%#19 of 192 · 2025 | +1.88%#52 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateZambia: 1.09× the birth rate | 32.7 per 1,000#19 of 192 · 2024 | 29.9 per 1,000#31 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateZimbabwe: 1.44× the death rate | 5.2 per 1,000#166 of 192 · 2024 | 7.5 per 1,000#86 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Zambia: 0.7 points higher | 41.0%#17 of 192 · 2025 | 40.3%#23 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Zimbabwe: 1.6 points higher | 2.0%#190 of 192 · 2025 | 3.6%#150 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationZambia: 3.5 per 1,000 higher | +0.3 per 1,000#64 of 192 · 2025 | −3.2 per 1,000#162 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadZimbabwe: 19.5× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 | 0.39 per 1,000#80 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyZambia: 3.4 years longer | 66.5 years#156 of 192 · 2024 | 63.1 years#175 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityZimbabwe: 1.8× the infant mortality | 34.6 per 1,000 births#34 of 191 · 2024 | 62.4 per 1,000 births#6 of 191 · 2024 |
| DoctorsZambia: 2.29× the doctors per person | 0.32 per 1,000#136 of 178 · 2022 | 0.14 per 1,000#161 of 178 · 2023 |
| University enrolment | — | 7.7%#136 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development IndexZimbabwe: 0.003 higher | 0.595#151 of 190 · 2023 | 0.598#150 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaZimbabwe: 2.22× the income per person | $1,200#164 of 185 · 2025 | $2,660#142 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPZimbabwe: 1.77× the economy | $28.88B2025 | $51.22B2025 |
| Income group | Lower-middle income | Lower-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Zimbabwe: 1.48× the output per person | $4,379#158 of 184 · 2025 | $6,470#143 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthZimbabwe: 4.3 points higher | +3.8%#75 of 187 · 2025 | +8.1%#9 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationZimbabwe: 90.8 points higher | +13.9%#16 of 176 · 2025 | +104.7%#3 of 176 · 2022 |
| UnemploymentZimbabwe: 1.58× the unemployment | 5.9%#74 of 178 · 2025 | 9.3%#38 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme povertyZambia: 1.46× the share in extreme poverty | 71.7%#6 of 149 · 2022 | 49.2%#12 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini)Zambia: 1.2 higher | 51.5#6 of 149 · 2022 | 50.3#8 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureZambia: 0.2 points higher | 54.5% of jobs#18 of 178 · 2025 | 54.3% of jobs#19 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryZimbabwe: 1.2 points higher | 10.3% of jobs#154 of 178 · 2025 | 11.5% of jobs#151 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesZambia: 1.0 points higher | 35.2% of jobs#156 of 178 · 2025 | 34.2% of jobs#159 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentZambia: 2.6 points higher | 4.5% of GDP#41 of 184 · 2025 | 1.9% of GDP#96 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsZambia: 16.9 points higher | 35.0% of GDP#85 of 168 · 2024 | 18.1% of GDP#139 of 168 · 2024 |
| Military spendingZambia: 2.25× the military spending | 1.3% of GDP#101 of 155 · 2025 | 0.6% of GDP#139 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersZimbabwe: 2.43× the share online | 17%#177 of 184 · 2024 | 42%#151 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsZambia: 1.16× the mobile subscriptions | 109 per 100#112 of 191 · 2024 | 94 per 100#137 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaZambia: 1.69× the forest share | 61% of land#27 of 192 · 2024 | 36% of land#81 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personZimbabwe: 1.43× the CO₂ per person | 0.54 t a year#147 of 185 · 2024 | 0.77 t a year#136 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyZambia: 0.6 points higher | 83.0%#10 of 190 · 2021 | 82.4%#13 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityZimbabwe: 8.4 points higher | 53.6%#174 of 192 · 2024 | 62.0%#161 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)Zambia: 1.35× the air pollution | 20.2 µg/m³#80 of 191 · 2023 | 15.0 µg/m³#118 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landZambia: 13.0 points higher | 41.3% of land#7 of 191 · 2025 | 28.3% of land#42 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landZimbabwe: 5.3 points higher | 5.1% of land#130 of 190 · 2024 | 10.4% of land#97 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressZimbabwe: 16.5× the water stress | 2.8%#140 of 176 · 2022 | 46.1%#40 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationZambia: 1.55× the rain and snow | 1,020 mm#94 of 180 · 2022 | 657 mm#119 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityZambia: 0.81 higher | −0.06#109 of 193 · 2025 | −0.87#160 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionZambia: 0.83 higher | −0.46#116 of 193 · 2025 | −1.29#172 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2022 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | Presidential republic | Presidential republic |
| Capital | Lusaka | Harare |
| Currency | Zambian Kwacha (ZMW) | Zimbabwe ZiG (ZWG), United States dollar (USD) |
| Official languages | English | English, Xhosa, Sesotho, Tswana, Chewa, Shona, Tsonga, Venda, Khoisan, Northern Ndebele, Tonga, Kalanga, Nambya, Ndau, Zimbabwe Sign Language, Barwe |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+2 | UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +260 | +263 |
| 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. Zambia sits at about 13° S and is stretched to 1.06× its true area; Zimbabwe at 19° S is stretched to 1.12×. 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 Zambia bigger than Zimbabwe?
- Yes. Zambia is 93% larger than Zimbabwe. Zambia covers 752,618 km² and Zimbabwe covers 390,757 km².
- How many times does Zimbabwe fit into Zambia?
- About 1.9 times: Zambia has 1.93× the area of Zimbabwe.
- Why do Zambia and Zimbabwe look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Zambia is drawn about 1.06× its true area there and Zimbabwe about 1.12×. 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, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
- Zambia: 21,913,874 people against 16,950,795. Density: Zambia 29 per km², Zimbabwe 43 per km².
- Which is richer, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
- By gross national income per person, Zimbabwe: $2,660 against $1,200 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025) — 2.22× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Zambia or Zimbabwe?
- In Zambia: life expectancy at birth is 66.5 years, against 63.1 — 3.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Zambia and Zimbabwe have?
- The same form of government, by constitution: presidential republic (CIA World Factbook).