Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gabon instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 9.5 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 69 years (66 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 12.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gabon spends $673 as of 2023.
have 81.5% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gabon scores 49 as of 2021.
be 28.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 2.8% of people as of 2024.
be 52.0% more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gabon, that number is 22.7% of people as of 2024.
Economy
make 12.5 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Gabon, the GDP per capita is $8,263 as of 2025.
Life
be 58.6% 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 Gabon, 233.0 women do as of 2023.
be 64.2% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Gabon, it is 88.9% as of 2021.
be 60.4% 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 Gabon, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2024.
have 35.9% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gabon, there are 27.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 87.1% 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 Gabon, that number is 94% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 29% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.5 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gabon, about 68.7% do as of 2024.
be 17.7% 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 Gabon, that number is 89% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 49% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 16.3% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gabon, that number is 3.1% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.7% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Gabon, that number is 885 km.
Safety
be 38.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Gabon, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 6.5 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gabon has 4.7 as of 2024.
live with 98.0% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gabon withdraws 0% as of 2022.
Environment
be 17.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gabon, it causes 53.0 as of 2019.
emit 41.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gabon emits 2.0 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. Gabon
Gabon: At a glance
How big is Gabon compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.