If you lived in Samoa instead of Central African Republic, you would:

Health

live 14.2 years longer

In Central African Republic, the average life expectancy is 58 years (56 years for men, 60 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Central African Republic spends $137 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 7.6 times more doctors per person

Central African Republic has 0.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 71.9% more access to essential health services

Central African Republic scores 32 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.

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be 5.9 times more likely to be obese

In Central African Republic, 10.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 30.6% more likely to die by suicide

Central African Republic has a suicide rate of 9.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 20.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Central African Republic, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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be 68.2% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Central African Republic, 68.8% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

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make 10.6 times more money

Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $556 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Life

be 85.4% less likely to die during childbirth

In Central African Republic, approximately 692.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 2.6 times more likely to be literate

In Central African Republic, the literacy rate is 37.5% as of 2020. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

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be 79.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Central African Republic, approximately 58.8 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.

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have 45.9% fewer children

In Central African Republic, there are approximately 46.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 5.7 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Central African Republic, approximately 18% of people have electricity access (37% in urban areas, and 2% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 5.5 times more likely to have internet access

In Central African Republic, approximately 13.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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be 2.7 times more likely to have access to drinking water

In Central African Republic, approximately 36% of people have access to drinking water (48% in urban areas, and 27% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 36.4% less on healthcare

Central African Republic spends 10.7% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 3.0 times more on education

Central African Republic spends 1.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 68.9% less likely to be murdered

Central African Republic has a homicide rate of 20.1 per 100,000 people as of 2016. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.

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be 62.9% less likely to die in a road accident

In Central African Republic, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 44.0 times more home broadband

Central African Republic has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 65.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Central African Republic, air pollution causes 98.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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emit 26.7 times more CO2

Central African Republic emits 0.1 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2020–2021). How we calculate this

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 Central African Republic? See an in-depth size comparison.

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