# Mozambique and Zambia compared

Mozambique and Zambia side by side: 42 shared sourced indicators across 9 domains, their chronicles record no events of each other.

Canonical: https://terralore.co/compare/moz-vs-zmb
Updated: 2026-08-10 (latest of the two dossiers' refreshes and the two chronicles' verification dates)

Two sourced records set beside each other — nothing on this page was written for the pair. Every figure is the same observation, with the same source, as on the two national dossiers; every event is the same record, with the same sources, as on its own chronicle. Figures are compared, never graded. A "—" is an absence in the source data, never a zero; each value shows its own observation year — vintages differ by indicator and nation.

## Formation

- Mozambique: 1975 — Mozambique becomes independent of Portugal
- Zambia: 24 October 1964 — Zambia becomes independent of Britain

## Economy

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GDP | $23 B | 2024 | $25 B | 2024 |
| GDP per capita | $657 | 2024 | $1,187 | 2024 |
| GDP growth | 2.1% | 2024 | 3.8% | 2024 |
| Inflation | 4.1% | 2024 | 15.0% | 2024 |
| Trade openness | 95.7% | 2024 | 62.5% | 2024 |

## Society

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 35 m | 2024 | 21 m | 2024 |
| Life expectancy | 63.8 yrs | 2024 | 66.5 yrs | 2024 |
| Urban population | 36.4% | 2024 | 45.5% | 2024 |
| Fertility rate | 4.7 | 2024 | 4.0 | 2024 |

## Governance

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Voice & accountability | 39.2 | 2024 | 49.7 | 2024 |
| Political stability | 35.9 | 2024 | 64.2 | 2024 |
| Government effectiveness | 37.4 | 2024 | 41.0 | 2024 |
| Regulatory quality | 42.8 | 2024 | 48.2 | 2024 |
| Rule of law | 36.4 | 2024 | 47.3 | 2024 |
| Control of corruption | 26.4 | 2024 | 38.6 | 2024 |

## Health

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health spending | 8.5% | 2023 | 6.0% | 2023 |
| Physicians | 0.17 | 2022 | 0.32 | 2022 |
| Under-5 mortality | 59.4 | 2024 | 48.4 | 2024 |
| Measles immunisation | 65.0% | 2024 | 88.0% | 2024 |
| Safe drinking water | 27.5% | 2024 | — | — |

## Education

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult literacy | 61.7% | 2022 | 71.8% | 2024 |
| Education spending | 6.0% | 2022 | 4.1% | 2023 |
| Primary enrolment | 119.2% | 2022 | 115.6% | 2024 |
| Secondary enrolment | 37.2% | 2017 | 56.8% | 2024 |
| Tertiary enrolment | 7.5% | 2018 | 4.0% | 2012 |

## Technology

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R&D spending | 0.3% | 2015 | 0.3% | 2008 |
| Researchers (per million) | 44 | 2015 | 42 | 2008 |
| Internet users | 20.5% | 2024 | 17.1% | 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptions | 50 | 2024 | 109 | 2024 |
| High-tech exports | 3.6% | 2024 | 1.5% | 2024 |

## Geography

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land area | 786,380 km² | 2023 | 743,390 km² | 2023 |
| Forest area | 45.8% | 2023 | 59.5% | 2023 |
| Agricultural land | 52.8% | 2023 | 32.1% | 2023 |
| CO₂ per capita (t) | 0.3 | 2024 | 0.5 | 2024 |
| Renewable energy | 76.9% | 2021 | 83.0% | 2021 |

## Resources

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resource rents | 14.9% | 2021 | 35.3% | 2021 |
| Oil rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 0.0% | 2021 |
| Mineral rents | 0.1% | 2021 | 28.2% | 2021 |
| Forest rents | 7.3% | 2021 | 6.8% | 2021 |
| Electricity access | 36.0% | 2023 | 51.1% | 2023 |
| Copper (mined) | — | — | 940 kt | 2025 |

## Military

| Metric | Mozambique | Observed | Zambia | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military burden | 2.0% | 2024 | 1.3% | 2024 |
| Defense spending | $450 M | 2024 | $350 M | 2024 |
| Armed forces | 11,000 | 2020 | 16,000 | 2020 |

Each metric is also ranked across all nations: https://terralore.co/rankings (markdown twins at /rankings/<metric>.md). Full dossiers: https://terralore.co/country/MOZ.md and https://terralore.co/country/ZMB.md.

## Entangled histories (0 events)

Neither nation's sourced chronicle names the other — across both archives, no recorded event crosses between them. That is a fact about the two records as they stand, not a gap filled here.

## Sources

- World Development Indicators — World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://data.worldbank.org
- Worldwide Governance Indicators (via World Bank API) — Worldwide Governance Indicators / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/worldwide-governance-indicators
- Global Health Observatory (WHO, via World Bank WDI) — WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.who.int/data/gho
- Child mortality & immunisation estimates (UN IGME and WHO/UNICEF, via World Bank WDI) — UNICEF and WHO / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://childmortality.org
- R&D statistics (UNESCO UIS, via World Bank WDI) — UNESCO Institute for Statistics / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://uis.unesco.org
- ICT indicators (ITU, via World Bank WDI) — ITU / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-15 · https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics
- Military Expenditure Database (via World Development Indicators) — SIPRI / World Bank · CC BY 4.0 · accessed 2026-06-14 · https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex
- Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026 — U.S. Geological Survey · Public domain (U.S. Government work) · accessed 2026-08-10 · https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center

Chronicle references are cited inline above and resolve in full at https://terralore.co/country/MOZ/chronicle.md and https://terralore.co/country/ZMB/chronicle.md.

Citation template: Terralore, "Mozambique and Zambia compared", terralore.co/compare/moz-vs-zmb, retrieved <YYYY-MM-DD>.
