Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Somalia is 8% bigger than Kenya
Kenya: 591,970 km² (2024) · Somalia: 637,657 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Somalia’s coastline is 5.6 times as long as Kenya’s
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Somalia: 3,025 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 2,739 m above Somalia’s
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Somalia: 2,460 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 70% of Somalia, versus 50% of Kenya
Kenya: 50% (2024) · Somalia: 70.3% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Kenya has 2.9 times as many people as Somalia
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Somalia: 19.7 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Kenya is 3.2 times as densely populated as Somalia
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Somalia: 31 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Somalia and Kenya are practically level
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Somalia: 171.2 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Somalia and Kenya are practically level
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Somalia: 159.9 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Kenya is 4.1 years older than in Somalia
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Somalia: 15.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Somalia have 2.8 more children on average than in Kenya
Kenya: 3.17 children per woman (2024) · Somalia: 6.01 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
Kenya and Somalia are practically level
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Somalia: 2.6% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Kenya hosts 10 times as many refugees per resident as Somalia
Kenya: 10.7 per 1,000 (2025) · Somalia: 1.1 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Somalia none
Kenya: 0.2 (2026) · Somalia: 0 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kenya and Somalia are practically level
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Somalia: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Kenya’s economy is 10 times the size of Somalia’s
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Somalia: $13 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Kenya produces 4.3 times as much per person as Somalia
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Somalia: Int$1,643 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Somalia: no data
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Kenya: 45.5% (2022) · Somalia: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 19% in Somalia, versus 5.4% in Kenya
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Somalia: 18.9% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Somalia and Kenya are practically level
Kenya: 1.1% (2025) · Somalia: 1.5% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kenya’s central government collects 14% of GDP in tax, Somalia’s 2.2%
Kenya: 14.1% (2023) · Somalia: 2.2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Somalia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Kenya’s
Kenya: 34% (2025) · Somalia: 40% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Kenya spends 3.8 times as much on health per person as Somalia
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Somalia: $22 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Kenya live 4.9 years longer than in Somalia
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Somalia: 59 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Somalia is 91% more likely to die before turning one than in Kenya
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Somalia: 65.4 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Kenya has 6 times as many doctors per person as Somalia
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Somalia: 0.048 per 1,000 (2014)
How many hospital beds are there?
Kenya has 53% more hospital beds per person than Somalia
Kenya: 1.3 per 1,000 (2019) · Somalia: 0.9 per 1,000 (2019)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Somalia is 46% higher than in Kenya
Kenya: 19.1 per 100k (2023) · Somalia: 27.8 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
13% of adults in Somalia are obese, versus 10% in Kenya
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Somalia: 13% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Somalia: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Kenya rate their lives 0.17 points higher than in Somalia
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Somalia: 4.51 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Somalia: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Somalia has 9% more meat per person than Kenya
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Somalia: 11.1 kg (2022)
How much food is there per day?
Kenya has 334 kcal more food per person per day than Somalia
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Somalia: 1,812 kcal (2022)
How long do people work?
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · Somalia: no data
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Kenya went to school 6.7 years longer than in Somalia
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Somalia: 1.9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Somalia: no data
How many World Heritage sites?
Kenya has 8 more World Heritage sites than Somalia (8 against 0)
Kenya: 8 (2026) · Somalia: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kenya has won 124 Olympic medals, Somalia none
Kenya: 124 (2026 edition) · Somalia: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
35% of people in Kenya are online, versus 28% in Somalia
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Somalia: 28% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Somalia is 63% faster than in Kenya
Kenya: 41 Mbps (2026) · Somalia: 67 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
77% of people in Kenya have electricity, versus 54% in Somalia
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Somalia: 54.4% (2024)
How many live in cities?
55% of people in Somalia live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Somalia: 55% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Kenya has 126 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Somalia 54
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Somalia: 54 (2023)
How much railway is there?
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Somalia: no data
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Kenya fly 52 times as many passengers per resident as those from Somalia
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · Somalia: 0.0017 (2019)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 7.8% of Somalia, but only 6.6% of Kenya
Kenya: 6.6% (2024) · Somalia: 7.8% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Kenya emits 5.4 times as much CO₂ as someone in Somalia
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Somalia: 0.1 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 21% in Somalia
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Somalia: 20.9% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in Kenya carries 91% more fine dust than in Somalia
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Somalia: 11.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Somalia: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 2.8 times as deadly as in Somalia
Kenya: 55.3 per 100k (2023) · Somalia: 19.9 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Somalia is on average 1.3 °C warmer than Kenya
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Somalia: 27°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Kenya gets 2.7 times as much rain as Somalia
Kenya: 696 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Somalia: 258 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Kenya bigger than Somalia?
Somalia is larger. Somalia is 8% bigger than Kenya.
Which has more people, Kenya or Somalia?
Kenya has 2.9 times as many people as Somalia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or Somalia?
People in Kenya live 4.9 years longer than in Somalia. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 59.0 in Somalia.
Are people taller in Kenya or Somalia?
Somalia and Kenya are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
