Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 16.0 years less
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022. In Somalia, that number is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022.
be 22.1% more likely to be obese
In North Korea, 6.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Somalia, that number is 8.3% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 17.6% less money
North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2015, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $1,400 as of 2022.
be 6.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.1% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Somalia, that number is 19.3% as of 2022.
Life
have 2.8 times more children
In North Korea, there are approximately 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In North Korea, approximately 107.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Somalia, 621.0 women do as of 2020.
be 3.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 22.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Somalia, on the other hand, 86.5 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 10.9% less likely to have access to improved drinking water
In North Korea, approximately 94% of people have improved drinking water access (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Somalia, that number is 84% of people on average (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Geography
see 21.2% more coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.