Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Kingdom instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 22.4 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 years for women) as of 2024.
see 126.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Kingdom spends $6,606 as of 2024.
have 3.3 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Kingdom scores 88 as of 2021.
be 83.6% more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Kingdom, that number is 27.4% of people as of 2024.
be 20.0% more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Kingdom, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 74.9% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Kingdom, that number is 4.8% as of 2025.
make 87.1 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in United Kingdom, the GDP per capita is $57,602 as of 2025.
Life
be 98.6% 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 Kingdom, 8.0 women do as of 2023.
be 93.7% 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 Kingdom, on the other hand, 4.1 children do as of 2024.
have 76.6% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Kingdom, there are 9.9 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 3.4 times more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In United Kingdom, about 95.5% 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 Kingdom, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 3.0 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Kingdom, that number is 11.1% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 4.1 times more coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In United Kingdom, that number is 12,429 km.
Safety
be 88.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Kingdom, they kill 2.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 58.6 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United Kingdom has 42.2 as of 2024.
live with 41.5% less strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United Kingdom withdraws 14% as of 2022.
Environment
be 79.7% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Kingdom, it causes 13.0 as of 2019.
emit 84.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Kingdom emits 4.2 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. United Kingdom
United Kingdom: At a glance
How big is United Kingdom compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.