If you lived in Djibouti instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 7.2 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 21.9% less likely to be obese

In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Djibouti, that number is 11.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 3.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Djibouti spends $155 as of 2023.

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have 63.0% more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Djibouti scores 44 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 5.9 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Djibouti, the GDP per capita is $3,906 as of 2025.

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be 37.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Djibouti, that number is 26.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 71.2% 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 Djibouti, 162.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 34.3% 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 Djibouti, on the other hand, 43.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 50.6% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Djibouti, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 29.6% 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 Djibouti, that number is 65% of people on average (75% in urban areas, and 37% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Djibouti, about 65.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 39.0% less on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Djibouti, that number is 2.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 89.6% less coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Djibouti, that number is 314 km.

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Safety

be 15.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Djibouti, they kill 23.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.0 times more home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Djibouti has 1.5 as of 2023.

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live with 74.2% less strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Djibouti withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 15.4 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Djibouti emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2022–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Djibouti: At a glance

Djibouti is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 23,180 sq km. The French Territory of the Afars and the Issas became Djibouti in 1977. Hassan Gouled APTIDON installed an authoritarian one-party state and proceeded to serve as president until 1999. Unrest among the Afar minority during the 1990s led to a civil war that ended in 2001 with a peace accord between Afar rebels and the Somali Issa-dominated government. In 1999, Djibouti's first multiparty presidential elections resulted in the election of Ismail Omar GUELLEH as president; he was reelected to a second term in 2005 and extended his tenure in office via a constitutional amendment, which allowed him to begin a third term in 2011. Djibouti occupies a strategic geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and serves as an important shipping portal for goods entering and leaving the east African highlands and transshipments between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The government holds longstanding ties to France, which maintains a significant military presence in the country, and has strong ties with the United States. Djibouti hosts several thousand members of US armed services at US-run Camp Lemonnier.
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How big is Djibouti compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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