Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Burma, you would:
Health
live 8.1 years less
In Burma, the average life expectancy is 67 years (64 years for men, 70 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 83.4% more likely to be obese
In Burma, 8.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 81.6% less spent on your healthcare
Burma spends $283 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
Burma 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
Burma has a suicide rate of 2.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Burma, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 55.6% less money
Burma has a GDP per capita of $1,489 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Burma, there are approximately 16.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Burma, approximately 185.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.1% less likely to be literate
In Burma, the literacy rate is 93.5% as of 2020. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 99.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Burma, approximately 32.8 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 34.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Burma, approximately 77% of people have electricity access (95% in urban areas, and 69% 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 36.5% less likely to have internet access
In Burma, approximately 44.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 12.1% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Burma, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 81% 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 16.1% less on healthcare
Burma spends 4.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 56.7% more coastline
Burma has a total of 1,930 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Infrastructure
find 74.9% less home broadband
Burma has 2.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 4.2 times more strain on fresh water
Burma withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 91.4% less CO2
Burma emits 0.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Burma vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Burma? See an in-depth size comparison.