Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Guatemala instead of Somalia, you would:

Health

live 17.2 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (71 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2022.

be 2.6 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Guatemala, that number is 21.2% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 8.5 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $12,700 as of 2023.

be 85.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Guatemala, that number is 2.7% as of 2023.

Life

be 84.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Guatemala, 96.0 women do as of 2020.

be 69.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Guatemala, on the other hand, 26.2 children do as of 2022.

have 42.8% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 21.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Somalia, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (71% in urban areas, and 31% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Guatemala, that number is 99% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 3.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Guatemala, about 51.0% do as of 2021.

be 12.8% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Guatemala, that number is 95% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 92% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 10.3 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 86.8% less coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In Guatemala, that number is 400 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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