Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Senegal instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 10.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
be 22.3% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Senegal, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
see 3.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Senegal spends $206 as of 2023.
have 85.2% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Senegal scores 50 as of 2021.
be 15.1% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Senegal, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 85.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Senegal, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 32.3% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Senegal, however, that number is 37.5% as of 2021.
make 3.0 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Senegal, the GDP per capita is $1,955 as of 2025.
Life
be 57.9% 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 Senegal, 237.0 women do as of 2023.
be 55.8% 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 Senegal, on the other hand, 28.9 children do as of 2024.
have 31.1% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Senegal, there are 29.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 47.5% 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 Senegal, that number is 74% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 56% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 2.2 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Senegal, about 60.1% do as of 2024.
be 16.9% 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 Senegal, that number is 88% of people on average (95% in urban areas, and 81% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 15.5% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Senegal, that number is 4.3% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 82.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Senegal, that number is 531 km.
Infrastructure
find 5.6 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Senegal has 4.0 as of 2024.
live with 33.6% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Senegal withdraws 16% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 15.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Senegal emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), World Health Organization (2024), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Senegal
Senegal: At a glance
How big is Senegal compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.