Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Kuwait, you would:
Health
be 63.1% less likely to be obese
In Kuwait, 40.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 25.6 years less
In Kuwait, the average life expectancy is 85 years (84 years for men, 85 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 98.0% less spent on your healthcare
Kuwait spends $2,567 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 65.4% less access to essential health services
Kuwait scores 78 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Kuwait has a suicide rate of 2.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 8.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In Kuwait, 2.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 98.0% less money
Kuwait has a GDP per capita of $32,312 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 4.2 times more children
In Kuwait, there are approximately 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 70.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Kuwait, approximately 8.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.9% less likely to be literate
In Kuwait, the literacy rate is 96.5% as of 2020. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 9.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Kuwait, approximately 7.0 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 Kuwait, 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 72.1% less likely to have internet access
In Kuwait, approximately 100.0% of the population has internet access as of 2025. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Kuwait, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Somalia, 75% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 24.6% less on healthcare
Kuwait spends 5.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Kuwait has a total of 499 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Kuwait, road accidents kill 9.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 99.4% less strain on fresh water
Kuwait withdraws 3850% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 28.7% less home broadband
Kuwait has 1.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.8% less CO2
Kuwait emits 23.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 42.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Kuwait, air pollution causes 45.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Kuwait vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Kuwait? See an in-depth size comparison.