Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Dominican Republic, you would:
Health
be 51.5% less likely to be obese
In Dominican Republic, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 14.9 years less
In Dominican Republic, the average life expectancy is 74 years (71 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.
see 95.5% less spent on your healthcare
Dominican Republic spends $1,169 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 64.9% less access to essential health services
Dominican Republic scores 77 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 89.5% more likely to die by suicide
Dominican Republic has a suicide rate of 4.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Dominican Republic, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 3.2 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Dominican Republic, 17.3% live below the poverty line as of 2025. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 94.0% less money
Dominican Republic has a GDP per capita of $11,059 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Dominican Republic, there are approximately 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Dominican Republic, approximately 124.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.4% less likely to be literate
In Dominican Republic, the literacy rate is 94.0% as of 2024. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Dominican Republic, approximately 27.7 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 49.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Dominican Republic, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 98% 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 69.3% less likely to have internet access
In Dominican Republic, approximately 91.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 22.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Dominican Republic, approximately 97% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 95% 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 18.7% less on healthcare
Dominican Republic spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 2.3 times more coastline
Dominican Republic has a total of 1,288 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 26.3% less likely to die in a road accident
In Dominican Republic, road accidents kill 27.4 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 38.0% less strain on fresh water
Dominican Republic withdraws 40% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 93.6% less home broadband
Dominican Republic has 11.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.3% less CO2
Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Dominican Republic, air pollution causes 27.0 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: Dominican Republic vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Dominican Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.