Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Italy, you would:
Health
live 25.0 years less
In Italy, the average life expectancy is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 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 99.0% less spent on your healthcare
Italy spends $4,993 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 67.9% less access to essential health services
Italy scores 84 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 13.9% more likely to die by suicide
Italy has a suicide rate of 7.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed
In Italy, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 2.8 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Italy, 20.1% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 98.5% less money
Italy has a GDP per capita of $43,309 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 6.7 times more children
In Italy, there are approximately 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 93.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Italy, approximately 6.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.5% less likely to be literate
In Italy, the literacy rate is 99.3% as of 2019. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 28.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Italy, approximately 2.3 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 Italy, 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 68.7% less likely to have internet access
In Italy, approximately 89.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Italy, 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 55.7% less on healthcare
Italy spends 8.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 60.2% less coastline
Italy has a total of 7,600 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 4.0 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Italy, road accidents kill 5.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 17.6% less strain on fresh water
Italy withdraws 30% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 97.7% less home broadband
Italy has 31.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.0% less CO2
Italy emits 5.1 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 Italy, 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 (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Italy vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Italy? See an in-depth size comparison.