If you lived in Samoa instead of Sierra Leone, you would:

Health

live 16.4 years longer

In Sierra Leone, the average life expectancy is 59 years (57 years for men, 60 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 5.4 times more likely to be obese

In Sierra Leone, 8.7% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 3.5 times more money

Sierra Leone has a GDP per capita of $1,700 as of 2023, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $6,000 as of 2023.

be 61.4% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Sierra Leone, 56.8% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

pay a 10.0% lower top tax rate

Sierra Leone has a top tax rate of 30.0% as of 2014. In Samoa, the top tax rate is 27.0% as of 2016.

be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Sierra Leone, 3.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 9.8% as of 2023.

Life

be 86.7% less likely to die during childbirth

In Sierra Leone, approximately 443.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 2.0 times more likely to be literate

In Sierra Leone, the literacy rate is 48.6% as of 2022. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

be 76.8% less likely to die during infancy

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73.4 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.

have 39.0% fewer children

In Sierra Leone, there are approximately 30.8 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 3.3 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Sierra Leone, approximately 29% of people have electricity access (57% in urban areas, and 5% 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 6.1 times more likely to have internet access

In Sierra Leone, approximately 12.7% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

be 35.2% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Sierra Leone, approximately 73% of people have improved drinking water access (92% in urban areas, and 58% 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 47.3% less on education

Sierra Leone spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 39.8% less on healthcare

Sierra Leone spends 8.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.


The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, National Revenue Authority, 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 Sierra Leone? See an in-depth size comparison.

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