Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Burundi instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 4.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
be 65.3% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 5.2% of people as of 2024.
see 92.2% more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Burundi spends $100 as of 2023.
have 51.9% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Burundi scores 41 as of 2021.
Economy
be 95.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Burundi, that number is 0.9% as of 2025.
make 64.6% less money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Burundi, the GDP per capita is $234 as of 2025.
Life
be 30.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 563.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Burundi, 392.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.0% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Burundi, it is 74.7% as of 2021.
be 53.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Somalia, approximately 65.4 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Burundi, on the other hand, 30.5 children do as of 2024.
have 21.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Burundi, there are 33.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 76.9% less likely to have access to electricity
In Somalia, approximately 50% of people have electricity access (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 12% of people on average (65% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 69.2% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Burundi, about 8.6% do as of 2024.
be 12.4% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Burundi, that number is 66% of people on average (91% in urban areas, and 61% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.4 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Burundi, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 39.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Burundi, they kill 12.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 58.5% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Burundi withdraws 10% as of 2022.
find 97.2% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Burundi has 0.0 as of 2023.
Environment
be 10.9% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Burundi, it causes 71.0 as of 2019.
emit 40.0% more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Burundi emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Burundi
Burundi: At a glance
How big is Burundi compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.