Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 8.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 75.8% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.
see 8.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.
have 92.6% more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.
be 55.3% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 91.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Timor-Leste, that number is 1.6% as of 2025.
make 2.0 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.
Life
be 65.9% 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.
be 28.2% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.
be 47.1% 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
have 48.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 45.8% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.
be 16.0% 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 Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 2.6 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.7% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.
Safety
be 40.6% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.6% less home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.
live with 15.2% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 10.0 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: At a glance
How big is Timor-Leste compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.