Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 7.5 years less

In Sweden, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Sweden, 20.6% of adults are obese as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 47.3% of people as of 2016.

Economy

pay a 52.7% lower top tax rate

Sweden has a top tax rate of 57.1% as of 2016. In Samoa, the top tax rate is 27.0% as of 2016.

make 90.7% less money

Sweden has a GDP per capita of $64,200 as of 2023, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $6,000 as of 2023.

be 28.5% more likely to be unemployed

In Sweden, 7.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 9.8% as of 2023.

be 36.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Sweden, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

Life

have 75.7% more children

In Sweden, there are approximately 10.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 18.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 11.8 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Sweden, approximately 5.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2020. In Samoa, 59.0 women do as of 2020.

be 7.4 times more likely to die during infancy

In Sweden, approximately 2.3 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 11.4% less likely to have internet access

In Sweden, approximately 88.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Samoa, about 78.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 33.3% less on education

Sweden spends 7.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Samoa spends 4.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

spend 53.5% less on healthcare

Sweden spends 11.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2020. In Samoa, that number is 5.3% of GDP as of 2020.

Geography

see 87.5% less coastline

Sweden has a total of 3,218 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Skatteverket, 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 Sweden? See an in-depth size comparison.

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