Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Dominican Republic instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 14.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 74 years (71 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024.
see 22.4 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Dominican Republic spends $1,169 as of 2023.
have 2.9 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Dominican Republic scores 77 as of 2021.
be 47.2% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, it is 4.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, that number is 30.8% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 73.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Dominican Republic, that number is 5.1% as of 2025.
be 68.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, however, that number is 17.3% as of 2025.
make 16.7 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Dominican Republic, the GDP per capita is $11,059 as of 2025.
Life
be 78.0% 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 Dominican Republic, 124.0 women do as of 2023.
be 73.7% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Dominican Republic, it is 94.0% as of 2024.
be 57.6% 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 Dominican Republic, on the other hand, 27.7 children do as of 2024.
have 58.4% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, there are 17.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 98.0% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Dominican Republic, about 91.0% do as of 2024.
be 29.4% 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 Dominican Republic, that number is 97% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 95% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 23.0% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Dominican Republic, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 57.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Dominican Republic, that number is 1,288 km.
Safety
be 35.6% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Dominican Republic, they kill 27.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 15.6 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Dominican Republic has 11.2 as of 2024.
live with 61.2% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Dominican Republic withdraws 40% as of 2022.
Environment
be 57.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Dominican Republic, it causes 27.0 as of 2019.
emit 59.8 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Dominican Republic emits 3.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic: At a glance
How big is Dominican Republic compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.