Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Iran, you would:
Health
live 6.0 years less
In Iran, the average life expectancy is 78 years (76 years for men, 80 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 2.6 times more likely to be obese
In Iran, 24.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 55.4% less spent on your healthcare
Iran spends $1,064 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 69.0% fewer doctors per person
Iran has 18.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 25.7% less access to essential health services
Iran scores 74 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide
Iran has a suicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 39.8% less likely to be unemployed
In Iran, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 49.6% more money
Iran has a GDP per capita of $3,924 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
be 11.4% more likely to be literate
In Iran, the literacy rate is 88.9% as of 2023. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
have 98.6% more children
In Iran, there are approximately 12.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.3 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Iran, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 19.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Iran, approximately 10.3 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 11.8% less likely to have internet access
In Iran, approximately 85.3% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 93.6% more on education
Iran 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 12.4% more on healthcare
Iran spends 6.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 83.5% less coastline
Iran has a total of 2,440 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 53.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Iran, road accidents kill 20.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 92.7% less home broadband
Iran has 12.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 33.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Iran, air pollution causes 51.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 82.3% less CO2
Iran emits 9.1 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 (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Iran vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Iran? See an in-depth size comparison.