Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Mexico, you would:
Health
be 60.1% less likely to be obese
In Mexico, 37.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 16.3 years less
In Mexico, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 96.2% less spent on your healthcare
Mexico spends $1,368 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 64.0% less access to essential health services
Mexico scores 75 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 14.5% more likely to die by suicide
Mexico 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 7.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Mexico, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 87.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Mexico, 29.6% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 95.2% less money
Mexico has a GDP per capita of $13,889 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Mexico, there are approximately 15.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 13.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Mexico, approximately 42.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 43.4% less likely to be literate
In Mexico, the literacy rate is 95.5% as of 2024. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 5.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Mexico, approximately 12.1 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 Mexico, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 99% 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 66.4% less likely to have internet access
In Mexico, approximately 83.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Mexico, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 97% 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 32.0% less on healthcare
Mexico spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 67.6% less coastline
Mexico has a total of 9,330 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 68.3% more likely to die in a road accident
In Mexico, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 45.4% less strain on fresh water
Mexico withdraws 45% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 96.7% less home broadband
Mexico has 21.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 98.6% less CO2
Mexico emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Mexico, air pollution causes 30.0 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: Mexico vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Mexico? See an in-depth size comparison.