Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 12.5 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2022.

be 45.8% less likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Ethiopia, that number is 4.5% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.9 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $800 as of 2020, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $2,300 as of 2020.

Life

be 51.6% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 829.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In Ethiopia, 401.0 women do as of 2017.

be 61.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Ethiopia, on the other hand, 33.5 children do as of 2022.

have 19.7% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 38.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022. In Ethiopia, there are 30.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 2.6 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (34% in urban areas, and 4% in rural areas) as of 2019. In Ethiopia, that number is 47% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 34% in rural areas) as of 2019.

be 12.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 2.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In Ethiopia, about 24.0% do as of 2020.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Ethiopia: At a glance

Ethiopia is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 1,096,570 sq km. Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained its freedom from colonial rule with the exception of a short-lived Italian occupation from 1936-41. In 1974, a military junta, the Derg, deposed Emperor Haile SELASSIE (who had ruled since 1930) and established a socialist state. Torn by bloody coups, uprisings, wide-scale drought, and massive refugee problems, the regime was finally toppled in 1991 by a coalition of rebel forces, the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF). A constitution was adopted in 1994, and Ethiopia's first multiparty elections were held in 1995. A border war with Eritrea late in the 1990s ended with a peace treaty in December 2000. In November 2007, the Eritrea-Ethiopia Border Commission (EEBC) issued specific coordinates as virtually demarcating the border and pronounced its work finished. Alleging that the EEBC acted beyond its mandate in issuing the coordinates, Ethiopia has not accepted them and has not withdrawn troops from previously contested areas pronounced by the EEBC as belonging to Eritrea. In August 2012, longtime leader Prime Minister MELES Zenawi died in office and was replaced by his Deputy Prime Minister HAILEMARIAM Desalegn, marking the first peaceful transition of power in decades.
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How big is Ethiopia compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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