Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 40.1% less likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 18.9 years less
In Colombia, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 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 97.0% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 66.2% less access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 60.5% more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 74.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 92.3% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.2 times more children
In Colombia, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 9.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.2% less likely to be literate
In Colombia, the literacy rate is 95.3% as of 2024. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 49.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Colombia, approximately 99% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 95% 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 64.8% less likely to have internet access
In Colombia, approximately 79.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 22.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Colombia, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 84% 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 54.1% less on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 24.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Colombia, road accidents kill 16.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.8% less home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 6.8 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 97.2% less CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 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). How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.