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

Health

live 0.9 years less

In Guatemala, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 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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be 2.3 times more likely to be obese

In Guatemala, 28.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 49.3% less spent on your healthcare

Guatemala spends $935 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 56.2% fewer doctors per person

Guatemala has 12.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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be 2.4 times more likely to die by suicide

Guatemala has a suicide rate of 4.9 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 92.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Guatemala, 2.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 11.0% less money

Guatemala has a GDP per capita of $6,598 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Life

be 20.7% more likely to be literate

In Guatemala, the literacy rate is 82.1% as of 2024. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

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be 28.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Guatemala, approximately 17.2 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 21.1% more children

In Guatemala, there are approximately 20.6 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 25.0% more likely to have internet access

In Guatemala, approximately 60.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 77.3% more on education

Guatemala spends 3.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 23.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Guatemala, road accidents kill 12.6 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 83.5% less home broadband

Guatemala has 5.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 15.0% less likely to die from air pollution

In Guatemala, air pollution causes 40.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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emit 44.1% more CO2

Guatemala emits 1.1 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 (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (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 Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.

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