Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United States instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 19.9 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 258.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United States spends $13,473 as of 2023.
have 3.2 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United States scores 86 as of 2021.
be 2.7 times more likely to be obese
In Somalia, 14.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United States, that number is 41.0% of people as of 2024.
be 96.4% more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United States, it is 15.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 77.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
make 136.2 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.
Life
be 97.0% 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 States, 17.0 women do as of 2023.
be 91.6% 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 States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.
have 75.0% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 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 States, 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 States, about 94.7% 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 States, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 4.5 times more on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United States, that number is 16.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.6 times more coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.
Safety
be 29.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United States, they kill 14.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 54.0 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. United States has 38.9 as of 2024.
live with 14.8% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. United States withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
be 78.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United States, it causes 14.0 as of 2019.
emit 272.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 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 States
United States: At a glance
How big is United States compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.