Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Rwanda, you would:
Health
be 95.0% less likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Rwanda, 2.0% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 0.1% of people as of 2024.
live 9.0 years less
In Rwanda, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Rwanda, 5.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 70.6% less spent on your healthcare
Rwanda spends $177 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 44.9% less access to essential health services
Rwanda scores 49 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 66.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Rwanda, 11.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 2.0 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Rwanda, 27.4% live below the poverty line as of 2023. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 41.2% less money
Rwanda has a GDP per capita of $1,124 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 50.9% more children
In Rwanda, there are approximately 28.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Rwanda, approximately 229.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 31.3% less likely to be literate
In Rwanda, the literacy rate is 78.8% as of 2022. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 2.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Rwanda, approximately 29.4 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 22.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Rwanda, approximately 61% of people have access to drinking water (88% in urban areas, and 56% 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.
be 21.3% less likely to have access to electricity
In Rwanda, approximately 64% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 58% 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 11.9% less likely to have internet access
In Rwanda, approximately 31.7% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 27.1% less on healthcare
Rwanda spends 5.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 74.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Rwanda, road accidents kill 11.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 20.0% more home broadband
Rwanda has 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 21.4% more strain on fresh water
Rwanda withdraws 20% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 68.8% less CO2
Rwanda emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Rwanda vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Rwanda? See an in-depth size comparison.