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

Health

live 11.7 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Nepal, that number is 71 years (69 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 46.6% less likely to be obese

In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Nepal, that number is 8.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 6.4 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Nepal spends $332 as of 2023.

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have 100.0% more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Nepal scores 54 as of 2021.

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be 27.4% more likely to die by suicide

Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Nepal, it is 10.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 44.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Nepal, that number is 10.5% as of 2025.

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be 63.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Nepal, however, that number is 20.3% as of 2022.

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make 2.3 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Nepal, the GDP per capita is $1,536 as of 2025.

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Life

be 74.8% 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 Nepal, 142.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 31.6% more likely to be literate

In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Nepal, it is 71.2% as of 2021.

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be 66.1% 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 Nepal, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 55.2% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Nepal, there are 19.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 86.9% 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 Nepal, that number is 94% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 93% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 65.8% more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Nepal, about 46.3% do as of 2024.

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be 24.4% 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 Nepal, that number is 94% of people on average (92% in urban areas, and 94% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 64.7% more on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Nepal, that number is 6.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 39.6% more likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Nepal, they kill 28.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 14.0 times more home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Nepal has 10.1 as of 2024.

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live with 66.1% less strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Nepal withdraws 8% as of 2022.

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Environment

be 18.8% more likely to die from air pollution

In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Nepal, it causes 76.0 as of 2019.

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emit 10.8 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Nepal emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Nepal: At a glance

Nepal is a sovereign country in South Asia, with a total land area of approximately 143,351 sq km. In 1951, the Nepali monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. An insurgency led by Maoists broke out in 1996. The ensuing 10-year civil war between Maoist and government forces witnessed the dissolution of the cabinet and parliament and assumption of absolute power by the king in 2002. Several weeks of mass protests in April 2006 were followed by several months of peace negotiations between the Maoists and government officials, and culminated in a late 2006 peace accord and the promulgation of an interim constitution. Following a nationwide election in April 2008, the newly formed Constituent Assembly (CA) declared Nepal a federal democratic republic and abolished the monarchy at its first meeting the following month. The CA elected the country's first president in July. Between 2008 and 2011 there were four different coalition governments, led twice by the United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist, which received a plurality of votes in the 2008 CA election, and twice by the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist-Leninist (UML). After the CA failed to draft a constitution by the May 2012 deadline set by the Supreme Court, then Prime Minister Baburam BHATTARAI dissolved the CA. Months of negotiations ensued until March 2013 when the major political parties agreed to create an interim government headed by then Chief Justice Khil Raj REGMI with a mandate to hold elections for a new CA. Elections were held in November 2013, in which and the Nepali Congress won the largest share of the seats in the CA and in February 2014 formed a coalition government with the second place UML and with Nepali Congress President Sushil KOIRALA as prime minister
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