Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Saudi Arabia instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 20.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 79 years (77 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 66.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Saudi Arabia spends $3,475 as of 2023.
have 2.7 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Saudi Arabia scores 74 as of 2021.
be 88.1% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Saudi Arabia, it is 0.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 40.1% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 84.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 3.0% as of 2025.
make 52.2 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Saudi Arabia, the GDP per capita is $34,537 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.8% 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 Saudi Arabia, 7.0 women do as of 2023.
be 80.9% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Saudi Arabia, it is 97.9% as of 2024.
be 92.8% 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 Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, 4.7 children do as of 2024.
have 61.0% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, there are 16.5 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.6 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Saudi Arabia, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 31.5% 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 Saudi Arabia, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 52.1% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 12.7% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Saudi Arabia, that number is 2,640 km.
Infrastructure
find 61.2 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Saudi Arabia has 44.1 as of 2024.
live with 39.7 times more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Saudi Arabia withdraws 974% as of 2022.
Environment
be 42.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Saudi Arabia, it causes 91.0 as of 2019.
emit 369.6 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Saudi Arabia emits 18.5 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. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia: At a glance
How big is Saudi Arabia compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.