Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 10.0 years longer

In Mauritania, the average life expectancy is 65 years (63 years for men, 68 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 3.7 times more likely to be obese

In Mauritania, 12.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

be 31.1% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mauritania, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

pay a 32.5% lower top tax rate

Mauritania has a top tax rate of 40.0% as of 2016. In Samoa, the top tax rate is 27.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 87.3% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mauritania, approximately 465.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 47.9% more likely to be literate

In Mauritania, the literacy rate is 67.0% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

be 66.7% less likely to die during infancy

In Mauritania, approximately 51.0 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 30.9% fewer children

In Mauritania, there are approximately 27.2 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 2.0 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Mauritania, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (90% in urban areas, and 1% 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 32.2% more likely to have internet access

In Mauritania, approximately 59.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

be 15.5% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Mauritania, approximately 85% of people have improved drinking water access (99% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 98% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2020.

Expenditures

spend 2.5 times more on education

Mauritania spends 1.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 55.9% more on healthcare

Mauritania spends 3.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 46.6% less coastline

Mauritania has a total of 754 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Revenue, Samoa.

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 Mauritania? See an in-depth size comparison.

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