Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Belgium, you would:
Health
be 34.6% less likely to die by suicide
Belgium has a suicide rate of 18.4 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 10.5 years less
In Belgium, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 3.1 times more likely to be obese
In Belgium, 20.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 93.7% less spent on your healthcare
Belgium spends $7,489 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 84.3% fewer doctors per person
Belgium has 35.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 36.0% less access to essential health services
Belgium scores 86 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 15.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Belgium, 5.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 90.3% less money
Belgium has a GDP per capita of $60,750 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Belgium, there are approximately 9.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 25.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Belgium, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 4.0 times more likely to die during infancy
In Belgium, approximately 3.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Samoa, on the other hand, 12.3 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.4% less likely to have internet access
In Belgium, approximately 95.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 13.1% less on education
Belgium spends 6.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 37.2% less on healthcare
Belgium spends 10.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 6.1 times more coastline
Belgium has a total of 66 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 5.8 times more likely to be murdered
Belgium has a homicide rate of 1.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Belgium, road accidents kill 4.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.0% less home broadband
Belgium has 44.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 78.1% less CO2
Belgium emits 7.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Belgium, air pollution causes 15.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Belgium vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Belgium? See an in-depth size comparison.