Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of South Korea, you would:
Health
be 71.1% less likely to die by suicide
South Korea has a suicide rate of 27.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 24.7 years less
In South Korea, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
be 78.1% more likely to be obese
In South Korea, 8.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
see 99.0% less spent on your healthcare
South Korea spends $5,081 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 69.7% less access to essential health services
South Korea scores 89 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 7.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In South Korea, 2.7% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 98.2% less money
South Korea has a GDP per capita of $36,227 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 9.0 times more children
In South Korea, there are approximately 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 140.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In South Korea, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 44.8% less likely to be literate
In South Korea, the literacy rate is 98.0% as of 2019. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 28.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In South Korea, approximately 2.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Somalia, on the other hand, 65.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% less likely to have access to electricity
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 50% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 71.5% less likely to have internet access
In South Korea, approximately 97.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.7% less likely to have access to drinking water
In South Korea, approximately 100% of people have access to drinking water as of 2024. In Somalia, 75% of people do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 56.9% less on healthcare
South Korea spends 8.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.4% more coastline
South Korea has a total of 2,413 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 2.9 times more likely to die in a road accident
In South Korea, road accidents kill 6.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 71.2% less strain on fresh water
South Korea withdraws 85% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 98.5% less home broadband
South Korea has 47.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 99.6% less CO2
South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution
In South Korea, air pollution causes 19.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2019), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: South Korea vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to South Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.