South Africa vs Zambia Country Comparison
Select a continent
.webp&w=640&q=75)
.webp&w=640&q=75)
.webp&w=640&q=75)
.webp&w=640&q=75)
.webp&w=640&q=75)
.webp&w=640&q=75)
Select another country to compare
AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBrazilBruneiBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCanadaCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaColombiaComorosCongoCongo, the Democratic Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCote D'IvoireCroatiaCubaCyprusCzech RepublicDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEthiopiaFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench PolynesiaGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIran, Islamic Republic ofIraqIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKorea, Democratic People's Republic ofKorea, Republic ofKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacaoMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldova, Republic ofMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth MacedoniaNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestinian Territory, OccupiedPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarReunionRomaniaRussian FederationRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSwazilandSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwan, Province of ChinaTajikistanTanzania, United Republic ofThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited StatesUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.s.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabwe
Comparative Statistics (South Africa vs Zambia)
ⓘ When data for the selected year is missing, the closest prior year with data is used instead. Whenever the two countries' data points are 5+ years apart those indicators are excluded from the total score.
South Africa and Zambia are tied overall, each leading in 5 of 10 comparable indicators. South Africa's strongest global position is 97th (2024) in Regulatory Quality - Governance score (0-100). Zambia's strongest global position is 87th (2025) in GDP growth (annual %).
- Zambia wins against South Africa in GDP growth (annual %): 3.76 (2025, ranked 87th) vs 1.11 (2025, ranked 172nd).
- South Africa wins against Zambia in GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2021 international $): 13,592.05 (2025, ranked 120th) vs 3,742.26 (2025, ranked 173rd).
- Zambia wins against South Africa in Gini index: 51.50 (2022, ranked 163rd) vs 54.10 (2022, ranked 167th).
- South Africa wins against Zambia in Individuals using the Internet (% of population): 78.36 (2024, ranked 118th) vs 17.10 (2024, ranked 204th).
- Zambia wins against South Africa in Life expectancy at birth, total (years): 66.53 (2024, ranked 181st) vs 66.31 (2024, ranked 183rd).
- Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) data for South Africa and Zambia is too far apart to compare directly. The latest available data shows 88.31 (2023, ranked 105th) vs 55.30 (2013, ranked 138th).
- Zambia wins against South Africa in Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate): 5.92 (2025, ranked 108th) vs 32.39 (2025, ranked 186th).
- Zambia wins against South Africa in Political Stability - Governance score (0-100): 64.17 (2024, ranked 115th) vs 55.35 (2024, ranked 155th).
- South Africa wins against Zambia in Regulatory Quality - Governance score (0-100): 53.91 (2024, ranked 97th) vs 48.23 (2024, ranked 129th).
- South Africa wins against Zambia in Rule of Law - Governance score (0-100): 57.27 (2024, ranked 97th) vs 47.31 (2024, ranked 135th).
- South Africa wins against Zambia in Control of Corruption - Governance score (0-100): 43.97 (2024, ranked 99th) vs 38.61 (2024, ranked 129th).
| Metric | South Africa(5) | Zambia(5) |
|---|---|---|
| GDP growth (annual %) | (2025) 1.11 (172/214) | (2025) 3.76 (87/214) |
| GDP per capita, PPP (constant 2021 international $) | (2025) 13,592.05 (120/199) | (2025) 3,742.26 (173/199) |
| Gini index | (2022) 54.10 (167/171) | (2022) 51.50 (163/171) |
| Individuals using the Internet (% of population) | (2024) 78.36 (118/213) | (2024) 17.10 (204/213) |
| Life expectancy at birth, total (years) | (2024) 66.31 (183/217) | (2024) 66.53 (181/217) |
| Lower secondary completion rate, total (% of relevant age group) | (2023) 88.31 (105/197) | (2013) 55.30 (138/197) |
| Unemployment, total (% of total labor force) (modeled ILO estimate) | (2025) 32.39 (186/187) | (2025) 5.92 (108/187) |
| Political Stability - Governance score (0-100) | (2024) 55.35 (155/206) | (2024) 64.17 (115/206) |
| Regulatory Quality - Governance score (0-100) | (2024) 53.91 (97/204) | (2024) 48.23 (129/204) |
| Rule of Law - Governance score (0-100) | (2024) 57.27 (97/206) | (2024) 47.31 (135/206) |
| Control of Corruption - Governance score (0-100) | (2024) 43.97 (99/206) | (2024) 38.61 (129/206) |