Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Syria, you would:
Health
be 54.8% less likely to be obese
In Syria, 33.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
live 13.6 years less
In Syria, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 57.5% less spent on your healthcare
Syria spends $122 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 57.8% less access to essential health services
Syria scores 64 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
be 13.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Syria has a suicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Syria, 13.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 37.4% less money
Syria has a GDP per capita of $1,057 as of 2022, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 82.9% more children
In Syria, there are approximately 23.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 28.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Syria, approximately 20.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.7% less likely to be literate
In Syria, the literacy rate is 94.4% as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 3.7 times more likely to die during infancy
In Syria, approximately 17.7 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 43.1% less likely to have access to electricity
In Syria, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 73% 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 40.0% less likely to have internet access
In Syria, approximately 46.6% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 20.0% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Syria, approximately 94% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 75% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 38.0% more on healthcare
Syria spends 2.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 15.7 times more coastline
Syria has a total of 193 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 32.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Syria, road accidents kill 29.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
live with 80.3% less strain on fresh water
Syria withdraws 124% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Somalia withdraws 25% as of 2022.
find 89.5% less home broadband
Syria has 6.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
be 22.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Syria, air pollution causes 83.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
emit 96.1% less CO2
Syria emits 1.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Syria vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Syria? See an in-depth size comparison.