Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Gambia instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 7.1 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.
be 16.9% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 12.4% of people as of 2024.
see 80.8% more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Gambia spends $94 as of 2023.
have 70.4% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Gambia scores 46 as of 2021.
be 39.6% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Gambia, it is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 13.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Gambia, that number is 1.3% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 65.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Gambia, that number is 6.5% as of 2025.
make 39.0% more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Gambia, the GDP per capita is $919 as of 2025.
Life
be 37.1% 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 Gambia, 354.0 women do as of 2023.
be 50.0% 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 Gambia, on the other hand, 32.7 children do as of 2024.
have 29.5% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Gambia, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 33.0% 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 Gambia, that number is 67% of people on average (85% in urban areas, and 35% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 77.1% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Gambia, about 49.5% do as of 2024.
be 15.7% 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 Gambia, that number is 87% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 78% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 22.7% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Gambia, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 97.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Gambia, that number is 80 km.
Infrastructure
live with 91.0% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Gambia withdraws 2% as of 2022.
find 27.8% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Gambia has 0.5 as of 2024.
Environment
be 40.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Gambia, it causes 90.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.6 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Gambia emits 0.2 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. Gambia
Gambia: At a glance
How big is Gambia compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.