Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zimbabwe instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 4.1 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 63 years (60 years for men, 65 years for women) as of 2024.
see 98.0% more spent on your healthcare
Somalia spends $52 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zimbabwe spends $103 as of 2023.
have 2.0 times more access to essential health services
Somalia scores 27 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Zimbabwe scores 55 as of 2021.
be 98.0 times more likely to be living with HIV/AIDS
In Somalia, 0.1% of people are living with AIDS/HIV as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.8% of people as of 2024.
be 2.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Somalia has a suicide rate of 8.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, it is 17.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 51.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 18.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zimbabwe, that number is 9.3% as of 2025.
be 30.9% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Somalia, 55.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, however, that number is 38.3% as of 2019.
make 4.6 times more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $661 as of 2025, while in Zimbabwe, the GDP per capita is $3,021 as of 2025.
Life
be 36.4% 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 Zimbabwe, 358.0 women do as of 2023.
be 65.7% more likely to be literate
In Somalia, the literacy rate is 54.1% as of 2022. In Zimbabwe, it is 89.7% as of 2021.
have 29.4% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, there are 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 23.3% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 62% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 51% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 49.0% more likely to have internet access
In Somalia, approximately 27.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Zimbabwe, about 41.6% do as of 2024.
be 10.7% 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 Zimbabwe, that number is 67% of people on average (94% in urban areas, and 54% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 21.7% less on healthcare
Somalia spends 3.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zimbabwe, that number is 2.9% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 48.0% more likely to die in a road accident
In Somalia, road accidents kill 20.2 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zimbabwe, they kill 29.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2.7 times more home broadband
Somalia has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Zimbabwe has 1.9 as of 2024.
live with 87.9% more strain on fresh water
Somalia withdraws 25% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Zimbabwe withdraws 46% as of 2022.
Environment
be 12.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Somalia, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zimbabwe, it causes 56.0 as of 2019.
emit 15.4 times more CO2
Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zimbabwe emits 0.8 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2019–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Somalia vs. Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe: At a glance
How big is Zimbabwe compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.