Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 24.1 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
see 71.6 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 3.0 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 78.5% less likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
Economy
be 88.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 76.0 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 99.5% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 82.6% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, it is 98.8% as of 2024.
be 94.2% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 76.8% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 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 United Arab Emirates, 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 United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
be 32.8% 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 United Arab Emirates, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.9% more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 56.4% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 70.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 56.7 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
live with 61.6 times more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Arab Emirates withdraws 1510% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 365.2 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.