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

Health

live 9.5 years longer

In Liberia, the average life expectancy is 62 years (61 years for men, 64 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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see 2.0 times more spent on your healthcare

Liberia spends $233 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 3.2 times more doctors per person

Liberia has 1.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 22.2% more access to essential health services

Liberia scores 45 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Liberia, 17.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.0 times more likely to die by suicide

Liberia has a suicide rate of 6.0 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 57.0% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Liberia, 50.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

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make 6.4 times more money

Liberia has a GDP per capita of $915 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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be 73.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Liberia, 2.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 83.9% less likely to die during childbirth

In Liberia, approximately 628.0 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 80.5% less likely to die during infancy

In Liberia, approximately 63.2 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 18.3% fewer children

In Liberia, there are approximately 30.6 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 3.1 times more likely to have access to electricity

In Liberia, approximately 32% of people have electricity access (53% in urban areas, and 9% 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.

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be 2.3 times more likely to have internet access

In Liberia, approximately 32.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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be 26.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Liberia, approximately 79% of people have access to drinking water (86% in urban areas, and 70% 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.

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Expenditures

spend 47.9% less on healthcare

Liberia spends 13.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 2.4 times more on education

Liberia spends 2.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 30.4% less coastline

Liberia has a total of 579 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

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Safety

be 37.3% less likely to die in a road accident

In Liberia, road accidents kill 15.3 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 3.3 times more home broadband

Liberia has 0.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 43.3% less likely to die from air pollution

In Liberia, air pollution causes 60.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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emit 10.7 times more CO2

Liberia emits 0.1 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 (2016–2025), 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 Liberia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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