Quality of life comparison
If you lived in North Korea instead of Somalia, you would:
Health
live 16.0 years longer
In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 years for women) as of 2022. In North Korea, that number is 72 years (68 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2022.
be 18.1% less likely to be obese
In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In North Korea, that number is 6.8% of people as of 2016.
Economy
make 13.3% more money
Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in North Korea, the GDP per capita is $1,700 as of 2015.
be 84.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In North Korea, that number is 3.0% as of 2023.
Life
be 82.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In North Korea, 107.0 women do as of 2020.
be 74.3% 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 North Korea, on the other hand, 22.2 children do as of 2022.
have 64.7% fewer children
In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In North Korea, there are 13.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 11.9% 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 North Korea, that number is 55% of people on average (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2022.
be 12.2% 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 North Korea, that number is 94% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 89% in rural areas) as of 2020.
Geography
see 17.5% less coastline
Somalia has a total of 3,025 km of coastline. In North Korea, that number is 2,495 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook.
North Korea: At a glance
How big is North Korea compared to Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.