Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Ethiopia instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 8.6 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 68 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 80.4% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.9% of people as of 2024.
see 64.6% more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Ethiopia spends $86 as of 2023.
have 29.6% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Ethiopia scores 35 as of 2021.
be 23.7% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Ethiopia, it is 6.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 82.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Ethiopia, that number is 3.3% as of 2025.
be 40.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Ethiopia, however, that number is 33.1% as of 2021.
make 41.1% more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Ethiopia, the GDP per capita is $933 as of 2025.
Life
be 65.4% 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 Ethiopia, 195.0 women do as of 2023.
be 11.7% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Ethiopia, it is 60.5% as of 2022.
be 47.2% 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 Ethiopia, on the other hand, 34.5 children do as of 2024.
have 25.7% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Ethiopia, there are 31.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 10.1% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 55% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 21.5% less likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Ethiopia, about 21.9% do as of 2024.
be 26.2% 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 Ethiopia, that number is 56% of people on average (83% in urban areas, and 47% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.1% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Ethiopia, that number is 2.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 12.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Ethiopia, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.1% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Ethiopia has 0.6 as of 2024.
live with 31.5% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Ethiopia withdraws 32% as of 2022.
Environment
be 28.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Ethiopia, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Ethiopia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Ethiopia
Ethiopia: At a glance
How big is Ethiopia compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.