Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Bangladesh, you would:
Health
live 16.0 years less
In Bangladesh, the average life expectancy is 75 years (73 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Bangladesh, 5.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 73.8% less spent on your healthcare
Bangladesh spends $199 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 48.1% less access to essential health services
Bangladesh scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Bangladesh has a suicide rate of 2.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 5.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Bangladesh, 3.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 3.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Bangladesh, 18.7% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 74.5% less money
Bangladesh has a GDP per capita of $2,597 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Bangladesh, there are approximately 20.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.9 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Bangladesh, approximately 115.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.5% less likely to be literate
In Bangladesh, the literacy rate is 79.0% as of 2022. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 2.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Bangladesh, approximately 24.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Somalia, on the other hand, 65.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 49.4% less likely to have access to electricity
In Bangladesh, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 50% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 47.7% less likely to have internet access
In Bangladesh, approximately 53.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 23.8% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Bangladesh, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 75% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 72.4% more on healthcare
Bangladesh spends 2.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.2 times more coastline
Bangladesh has a total of 580 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Infrastructure
find 91.1% less home broadband
Bangladesh has 8.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 4.3 times more strain on fresh water
Bangladesh withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 93.1% less CO2
Bangladesh emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Bangladesh vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Bangladesh? See an in-depth size comparison.