Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 14.8 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024.
be 19.9% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In North Korea, that number is 11.9% of people as of 2024.
have 181.4 times more doctors per person
Somalia has 0.2 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2014. North Korea has 36.3 as of 2017.
have 2.5 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. North Korea scores 68 as of 2021.
be 17.0% more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In North Korea, it is 9.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In North Korea, that number is 3.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 88.1% 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 North Korea, 67.0 women do as of 2023.
be 79.7% 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 13.3 children do as of 2024.
have 69.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 14.3% 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 North Korea, that number is 58% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 24.7% 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 North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (97% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 17.5% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
Infrastructure
live with 13.1% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. North Korea withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.4% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In North Korea, it causes 86.0 as of 2019.
emit 50.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2017–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2014–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. North Korea
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.