If you lived in Uganda instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 9.5 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 36.5% less likely to be obese

In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.

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see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare

Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.

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have 81.5% more access to essential health services

Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.

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be 30.9% less likely to die by suicide

Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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be 49.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS

In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 4.9% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 85.5% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.

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be 70.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Uganda, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2023.

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make 82.4% more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.

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Life

be 69.8% 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 Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 42.4% more likely to be literate

In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.

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be 45.1% 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.

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have 18.7% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 68.0% less likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.

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be 16.3% less 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 Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 13.4% more on healthcare

Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.

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Safety

be 20.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

live with 76.2% less strain on fresh water

Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Uganda withdraws 6% as of 2022.

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find 70.8% less home broadband

Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Uganda has 0.2 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 3.4 times more CO2

Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this

Uganda: At a glance

Uganda is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 197,100 sq km. The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment of a working political community after independence was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. A constitutional referendum in 2005 cancelled a 19-year ban on multi-party politics.
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How big is Uganda compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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