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

Health

live 11.2 years longer

In Mali, the average life expectancy is 61 years (59 years for men, 62 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 4.6 times more spent on your healthcare

Mali spends $104 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 3.0 times more doctors per person

Mali has 1.9 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 34.1% more access to essential health services

Mali scores 41 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.

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be 4.8 times more likely to be obese

In Mali, 13.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide

Mali has a suicide rate of 4.2 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 51.9% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Mali, 45.5% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

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make 4.9 times more money

Mali has a GDP per capita of $1,193 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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be 76.7% more likely to be unemployed

In Mali, 2.8% 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 72.5% less likely to die during childbirth

In Mali, approximately 367.0 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 2.8 times more likely to be literate

In Mali, the literacy rate is 35.6% as of 2024. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

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be 74.1% less likely to die during infancy

In Mali, approximately 47.5 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 36.8% fewer children

In Mali, there are approximately 39.5 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 83.5% more likely to have access to electricity

In Mali, approximately 54% of people have electricity access (92% in urban areas, and 23% 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 2.0 times more likely to have internet access

In Mali, approximately 36.8% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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be 15.1% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Mali, approximately 86% of people have access to drinking water (94% in urban areas, and 80% 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 30.6% more on education

Mali spends 4.2% 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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spend 78.0% more on healthcare

Mali spends 3.8% 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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Safety

be 52.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Mali, road accidents kill 20.2 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 14.3% more home broadband

Mali has 0.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 47.7% less likely to die from air pollution

In Mali, air pollution causes 65.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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emit 5.3 times more CO2

Mali emits 0.3 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 (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). 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 Mali? See an in-depth size comparison.

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