If you lived in Cabo Verde instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 17.2 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 11.8 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cabo Verde spends $617 as of 2023.

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have 2.6 times more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cabo Verde scores 71 as of 2021.

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be 12.2% more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, that number is 16.7% of people as of 2024.

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be 87.2% more likely to die by suicide

Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, it is 14.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 37.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cabo Verde, that number is 11.9% as of 2025.

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be 55.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, however, that number is 24.8% as of 2023.

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make 8.8 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Cabo Verde, the GDP per capita is $5,796 as of 2025.

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Life

be 92.9% 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 Cabo Verde, 40.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 63.5% more likely to be literate

In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Cabo Verde, it is 88.5% as of 2024.

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be 83.8% 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 Cabo Verde, on the other hand, 10.6 children do as of 2024.

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have 71.1% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, there are 12.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 96.0% more 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 99% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 97% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cabo Verde, about 74.7% do as of 2024.

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be 22.6% more 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 Cabo Verde, that number is 92% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 86% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 56.4% more on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cabo Verde, that number is 5.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 68.1% less coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Cabo Verde, that number is 965 km.

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Safety

be 18.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cabo Verde, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 11.5 times more home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Cabo Verde has 8.3 as of 2024.

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live with 2.4 times more strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cabo Verde withdraws 60% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 25.8 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cabo Verde emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Cabo Verde: At a glance

Cabo Verde is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 4,033 sq km. The uninhabited islands were discovered and colonized by the Portuguese in the 15th century; Cabo Verde subsequently became a trading center for African slaves and later an important coaling and resupply stop for whaling and transatlantic shipping. Following independence in 1975, and a tentative interest in unification with Guinea-Bissau, a one-party system was established and maintained until multi-party elections were held in 1990. Cabo Verde continues to exhibit one of Africa's most stable democratic governments. Repeated droughts during the second half of the 20th century caused significant hardship and prompted heavy emigration. As a result, Cabo Verde's expatriate population is greater than its domestic one. Most Cabo Verdeans have both African and Portuguese antecedents.
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How big is Cabo Verde compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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