Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 28.5% less likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
be 56.6% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 23.3 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 99.3% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 68.6% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 4.5 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Belgium, 12.3% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 98.9% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.6 times more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 140.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 21.1 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 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 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In Belgium, 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 70.8% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Belgium, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 100% 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 65.4% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 45.5 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 4.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 53.6% less strain on fresh water
Belgium withdraws 53% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 98.4% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.3% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.