Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Puerto Rico instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 22.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 82 years (78 years for men, 85 years for women) as of 2024.
be 31.9% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Puerto Rico, it is 5.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, that number is 42.4% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 68.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Puerto Rico, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.
make 61.4 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Puerto Rico, the GDP per capita is $40,620 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.0% 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 Puerto Rico, 11.0 women do as of 2023.
be 70.7% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Puerto Rico, it is 92.4% as of 2021.
be 90.8% 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 Puerto Rico, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2022.
have 86.5% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, there are 5.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Puerto Rico, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, about 87.3% do as of 2022.
be 32.8% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Somalia, approximately 75% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Puerto Rico, 100% of people do as of 2024.
Geography
see 83.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Puerto Rico, that number is 501 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 Puerto Rico, they kill 12.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 38.9 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Puerto Rico has 28.0 as of 2024.
live with 20.3% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Puerto Rico withdraws 20% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 96.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Puerto Rico emits 4.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico: At a glance
How big is Puerto Rico compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.