Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Ghana, you would:
Health
live 6.1 years longer
In Ghana, the average life expectancy is 66 years (63 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 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare
Ghana spends $234 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 2.1 times more doctors per person
Ghana has 2.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 14.6% more access to essential health services
Ghana scores 48 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 4.4 times more likely to be obese
In Ghana, 14.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Ghana has a suicide rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 80.3% more money
Ghana has a GDP per capita of $3,257 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
be 67.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Ghana, 3.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 56.8% less likely to die during childbirth
In Ghana, approximately 234.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 29.6% more likely to be literate
In Ghana, the literacy rate is 76.5% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
be 55.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Ghana, approximately 27.5 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 11.7% more likely to have access to electricity
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have electricity access (98% in urban areas, and 78% 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 10.6% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Ghana, approximately 90% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 76% 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 87.6% more on education
Ghana spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 2.3 times more on healthcare
Ghana spends 3.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 25.2% less coastline
Ghana has a total of 539 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 62.9% less likely to die in a road accident
In Ghana, road accidents kill 25.9 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 33.3% more home broadband
Ghana has 0.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 61.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Ghana, air pollution causes 89.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.3 times more CO2
Ghana emits 0.7 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Ghana vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Ghana? See an in-depth size comparison.