Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Samoa instead of New Zealand, you would:

Health

live 7.4 years less

In New Zealand, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 84 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 53.6% more likely to be obese

In New Zealand, 30.8% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 18.2% lower top tax rate

New Zealand has a top tax rate of 33.0% as of 2016. In Samoa, the top tax rate is 27.0% as of 2016.

make 88.5% less money

New Zealand has a GDP per capita of $45,200 as of 2022, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,200 as of 2022.

be 3.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In New Zealand, 3.3% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Samoa, that number is 10.0% as of 2022.

Life

have 49.2% more children

In New Zealand, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 8.4 times more likely to die during childbirth

In New Zealand, approximately 7.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 4.9 times more likely to die during infancy

In New Zealand, approximately 3.4 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.

Basic Needs

be 18.8% less likely to have internet access

In New Zealand, approximately 96.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 20.0% less on education

New Zealand spends 6.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 47.0% less on healthcare

New Zealand spends 10.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 97.3% less coastline

New Zealand has a total of 15,134 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, New Zealand Inland Revenue Department, 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 New Zealand? See an in-depth size comparison.

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