Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Samoa instead of Gambia, you would:

Health

live 7.6 years longer

In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2022. In Samoa, that number is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022.

be 4.6 times more likely to be obese

In Gambia, 10.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 2.1 times more money

Gambia has a GDP per capita of $2,900 as of 2023, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $6,000 as of 2023.

be 59.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

be 50.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Gambia, 6.5% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 9.8% as of 2023.

Life

be 87.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Gambia, approximately 458.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 70.6% more likely to be literate

In Gambia, the literacy rate is 58.1% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

be 54.3% less likely to die during infancy

In Gambia, approximately 37.2 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Samoa, on the other hand, 17.0 children do as of 2020.

have 31.1% fewer children

In Gambia, there are approximately 27.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 50.3% more likely to have access to electricity

In Gambia, approximately 65% of people have electricity access (82% in urban areas, and 31% in rural areas) as of 2022. In Samoa, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2022.

be 2.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Gambia, approximately 33.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 71.4% more on education

Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 2.0 times more on healthcare

Gambia spends 2.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 5.0 times more coastline

Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

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

Samoa: At a glance

Samoa is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 2,821 sq km. New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.
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How big is Samoa compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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