Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Central African Republic instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
be 26.7% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.9% of people as of 2024.
see 2.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Central African Republic spends $137 as of 2023.
have 18.5% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Central African Republic scores 32 as of 2021.
be 24.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 1.3 years less
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Central African Republic, that number is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024.
be 15.5% more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Central African Republic, it is 9.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Central African Republic, that number is 6.2% as of 2025.
be 24.2% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Central African Republic, however, that number is 68.8% as of 2021.
make 15.9% less money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Central African Republic, the GDP per capita is $556 as of 2025.
Life
be 10.1% 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 Central African Republic, on the other hand, 58.8 children do as of 2024.
be 22.9% more 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 Central African Republic, 692.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.7% less likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Central African Republic, it is 37.5% as of 2020.
Basic Needs
be 65.0% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 18% of people on average (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 50.7% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Central African Republic, about 13.8% do as of 2024.
be 51.5% 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 Central African Republic, that number is 36% of people on average (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.9 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Central African Republic, that number is 10.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 28.2% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Central African Republic, they kill 25.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 98.6% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Central African Republic withdraws 0% as of 2022.
find 97.2% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Central African Republic has 0.0 as of 2022.
Environment
be 53.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Central African Republic, it causes 98.0 as of 2019.
emit 20.0% more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Central African Republic
Central African Republic: At a glance
How big is Central African Republic compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.