Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Gambia, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Gambia, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
see 5.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Gambia spends $94 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 6.2 times more doctors per person
Gambia has 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 19.6% more access to essential health services
Gambia scores 46 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 5.2 times more likely to be obese
In Gambia, 12.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Gambia has a suicide rate of 4.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 23.3% less likely to be unemployed
In Gambia, 6.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 59.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Gambia, 53.4% live below the poverty line as of 2020. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 6.4 times more money
Gambia has a GDP per capita of $919 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
be 71.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Gambia, approximately 354.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 91.9% more likely to be literate
In Gambia, the literacy rate is 51.6% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
be 62.4% less likely to die during infancy
In Gambia, approximately 32.7 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.
have 16.4% fewer children
In Gambia, there are approximately 29.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 49.5% more likely to have access to electricity
In Gambia, approximately 67% of people have electricity access (85% in urban areas, and 35% 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.
be 52.1% more likely to have internet access
In Gambia, approximately 49.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
be 14.2% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Gambia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (92% in urban areas, and 78% 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.
Expenditures
spend 94.3% more on education
Gambia spends 2.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Gambia spends 2.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 5.0 times more coastline
Gambia has a total of 80 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 56.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Gambia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 69.2% more home broadband
Gambia has 0.5 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 62.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Gambia, air pollution causes 90.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.9 times more CO2
Gambia emits 0.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Gambia vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Gambia? See an in-depth size comparison.