Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Maldives, you would:
Health
live 9.5 years less
In Maldives, the average life expectancy is 81 years (80 years for men, 83 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 3.6 times more likely to be obese
In Maldives, 17.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 79.3% less spent on your healthcare
Maldives spends $2,288 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 74.9% fewer doctors per person
Maldives has 22.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2019. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
be 8.2 times more likely to die by suicide
Maldives has a suicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 10.9% more likely to be unemployed
In Maldives, 4.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
be 4.1 times more likely to live below the poverty line
In Maldives, 5.4% live below the poverty line as of 2019. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 59.8% less money
Maldives has a GDP per capita of $14,615 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.4 times more children
In Maldives, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.2 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Maldives, approximately 32.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times more likely to die during infancy
In Maldives, approximately 4.7 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 11.7% less likely to have internet access
In Maldives, approximately 85.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 26.7% less on healthcare
Maldives spends 9.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 37.4% less coastline
Maldives has a total of 644 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 10.1 times more likely to be murdered
Maldives has a homicide rate of 0.6 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 7.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Maldives, road accidents kill 1.3 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 95.5% less home broadband
Maldives has 19.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 55.2% less CO2
Maldives emits 3.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 17.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Maldives, air pollution causes 29.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Maldives vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Maldives? See an in-depth size comparison.