Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 19.5 years longer

In Somalia, the average life expectancy is 56 years (53 years for men, 58 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 5.7 times more likely to be obese

In Somalia, 8.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

make 4.0 times more money

Somalia has a GDP per capita of $1,500 as of 2023, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $6,000 as of 2023.

be 48.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Somalia, 19.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 9.8% as of 2023.

be 59.7% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Somalia, 54.4% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

Life

be 90.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Somalia, approximately 621.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 80.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Somalia, approximately 86.5 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 49.7% fewer children

In Somalia, there are approximately 37.4 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 Somalia, approximately 49% of people have electricity access (71% 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 5.4 times more likely to have internet access

In Somalia, approximately 14.5% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

be 16.9% more likely to have access to improved drinking water

In Somalia, approximately 84% of people have improved drinking water access (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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 16.0 times more on education

Somalia spends 0.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2019. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 86.7% less coastline

Somalia has a total of 3,025 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 Somalia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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