Quality of life comparison
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Guatemala vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Guatemala? See an in-depth size comparison.