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

Health

live 11.2 years less

In Ireland, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 85 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 Ireland, 27.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 94.6% less spent on your healthcare

Ireland spends $8,772 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 85.5% fewer doctors per person

Ireland has 38.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 33.7% less access to essential health services

Ireland scores 83 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.

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be 40.4% more likely to die by suicide

Ireland has a suicide rate of 8.6 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 56.4% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Ireland, 14.0% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

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make 95.5% less money

Ireland has a GDP per capita of $131,592 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Life

have 2.5 times more children

In Ireland, there are approximately 10.0 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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be 25.2 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Ireland, approximately 4.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 3.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Ireland, approximately 3.4 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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Basic Needs

be 22.5% less likely to have internet access

In Ireland, approximately 97.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 88.3% more on education

Ireland spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 72.2% less coastline

Ireland has a total of 1,448 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

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Safety

be 3.4 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Ireland, road accidents kill 2.8 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 97.3% less home broadband

Ireland has 32.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 73.5% less CO2

Ireland emits 6.0 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Ireland, air pollution causes 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Ireland? See an in-depth size comparison.

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