Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Guatemala, you would:
Health
be 46.7% less likely to be obese
In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 13.8 years less
In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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 94.4% less spent on your healthcare
Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 54.2% less access to essential health services
Guatemala scores 59 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 61.1% more likely to die by suicide
Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 90.0% less money
Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.1 times more children
In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Guatemala, approximately 94.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.1% less likely to be literate
In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 3.8 times more likely to die during infancy
In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 Guatemala, 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 53.6% less likely to have internet access
In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 19.2% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Guatemala, approximately 93% of people have access to drinking water (97% in urban areas, and 89% 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 45.0% less on healthcare
Guatemala spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.6 times more coastline
Guatemala has a total of 400 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 60.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 86.5% less home broadband
Guatemala has 5.3 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
Guatemala withdraws 6% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 95.5% less CO2
Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 60.0% more likely to die from air pollution
In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 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: Guatemala vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.