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

Health

live 25.0 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Italy, that number is 84 years (82 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 95.9 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Italy spends $4,993 as of 2024.

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have 3.1 times more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Italy scores 84 as of 2021.

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be 12.2% less likely to die by suicide

Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Italy, it is 7.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 66.3% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Italy, that number is 6.4% as of 2025.

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be 63.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Italy, however, that number is 20.1% as of 2021.

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make 65.5 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Italy, the GDP per capita is $43,309 as of 2025.

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Life

be 98.9% 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 Italy, 6.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 83.6% more likely to be literate

In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Italy, it is 99.3% as of 2019.

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be 96.5% 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 Italy, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.

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have 85.1% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Italy, there are 6.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 98.8% 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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 3.2 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Italy, about 89.2% do as of 2024.

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be 32.7% 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 Italy, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.3 times more on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Italy, that number is 8.4% of GDP as of 2024.

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Geography

see 2.5 times more coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Italy, that number is 7,600 km.

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Safety

be 75.2% less likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Italy, they kill 5.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 44.1 times more home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Italy has 31.8 as of 2024.

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live with 21.4% more strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Italy withdraws 30% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 76.6% less likely to die from air pollution

In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Italy, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.

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emit 101.6 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Italy emits 5.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this

Italy: At a glance

Italy is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 294,140 sq km. Italy became a nation-state in 1861 when the regional states of the peninsula, along with Sardinia and Sicily, were united under King Victor EMMANUEL II. An era of parliamentary government came to a close in the early 1920s when Benito MUSSOLINI established a Fascist dictatorship. His alliance with Nazi Germany led to Italy's defeat in World War II. A democratic republic replaced the monarchy in 1946 and economic revival followed. Italy is a charter member of NATO and the European Economic Community (EEC). It has been at the forefront of European economic and political unification, joining the Economic and Monetary Union in 1999. Persistent problems include sluggish economic growth, high youth and female unemployment, organized crime, corruption, and economic disparities between southern Italy and the more prosperous north.
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How big is Italy compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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