Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Cameroon instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 5.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 64 years (62 years for men, 66 years for women) as of 2024.
see 4.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Cameroon spends $246 as of 2023.
have 63.0% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Cameroon scores 44 as of 2021.
be 25.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Cameroon, that number is 2.5% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 81.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Cameroon, that number is 3.6% as of 2025.
be 31.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Cameroon, however, that number is 37.7% as of 2021.
make 3.0 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Cameroon, the GDP per capita is $1,972 as of 2025.
Life
be 54.2% 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 Cameroon, 258.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% 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 Cameroon, on the other hand, 40.2 children do as of 2024.
have 21.3% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Cameroon, there are 33.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 43.1% 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 Cameroon, that number is 72% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 26% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 65.6% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Cameroon, about 46.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.7% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Cameroon, that number is 4.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 86.7% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Cameroon, that number is 402 km.
Safety
be 47.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Cameroon, they kill 10.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.0 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Cameroon has 2.1 as of 2022.
live with 93.6% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Cameroon withdraws 2% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Cameroon, it causes 101.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Cameroon emits 0.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Cameroon
Cameroon: At a glance
How big is Cameroon compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.