Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of New Zealand, you would:
Health
be 56.2% less likely to be obese
In New Zealand, 34.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
be 33.2% less likely to die by suicide
New Zealand has a suicide rate of 11.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 23.0 years less
In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 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 99.1% less spent on your healthcare
New Zealand spends $5,576 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 68.2% less access to essential health services
New Zealand scores 85 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.7 times more likely to be unemployed
In New Zealand, 5.1% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 98.7% less money
New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $49,591 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 3.8 times more children
In New Zealand, there are approximately 11.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 80.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 16.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In New Zealand, approximately 4.0 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 New Zealand, 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 70.1% less likely to have internet access
In New Zealand, approximately 93.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In New Zealand, 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 62.8% less on healthcare
New Zealand spends 10.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 80.0% less coastline
New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 3.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In New Zealand, road accidents kill 6.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.1% less home broadband
New Zealand has 38.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 3.0 times more strain on fresh water
New Zealand withdraws 8% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 99.2% less CO2
New Zealand emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 5.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In New Zealand, air pollution causes 12.0 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: New Zealand vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.