Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Senegal, you would:
Health
live 10.0 years less
In Senegal, the average life expectancy is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 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 28.6% more likely to be obese
In Senegal, 11.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 74.7% less spent on your healthcare
Senegal spends $206 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 46.0% less access to essential health services
Senegal scores 50 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 17.8% more likely to die by suicide
Senegal has a suicide rate of 6.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 6.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Senegal, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
be 47.7% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Senegal, 37.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Somalia, however, that number is 55.4% as of 2022.
make 66.2% less money
Senegal has a GDP per capita of $1,955 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 45.1% more children
In Senegal, there are approximately 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.4 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Senegal, approximately 237.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.3 times more likely to die during infancy
In Senegal, approximately 28.9 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 32.2% less likely to have access to electricity
In Senegal, approximately 74% of people have electricity access (96% in urban areas, and 56% 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 53.5% less likely to have internet access
In Senegal, approximately 60.1% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 14.5% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Senegal, approximately 88% of people have access to drinking water (95% in urban areas, and 81% 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 13.4% less on healthcare
Senegal spends 4.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.7 times more coastline
Senegal has a total of 531 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Infrastructure
find 82.2% less home broadband
Senegal has 4.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
live with 50.7% more strain on fresh water
Senegal withdraws 16% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 93.5% less CO2
Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Senegal vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Senegal? See an in-depth size comparison.