Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Namibia, you would:
Health
live 4.3 years longer
In Namibia, the average life expectancy is 68 years (63 years for men, 71 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 3.5 times more likely to be obese
In Namibia, 18.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 55.6% less spent on your healthcare
Namibia spends $1,068 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 12.7% less access to essential health services
Namibia scores 63 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 39.7% more likely to die by suicide
Namibia 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.
Economy
be 74.1% less likely to be unemployed
In Namibia, 19.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 20.4% more money
Namibia has a GDP per capita of $4,876 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
be 25.9% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Namibia, 17.4% live below the poverty line as of 2015. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
Life
be 27.3% less likely to die during childbirth
In Namibia, approximately 139.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 13.1% more likely to be literate
In Namibia, the literacy rate is 87.6% as of 2023. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
be 66.2% less likely to die during infancy
In Namibia, approximately 36.4 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.
Basic Needs
be 76.4% more likely to have access to electricity
In Namibia, approximately 57% of people have electricity access (75% in urban areas, and 34% 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.
be 16.1% more likely to have internet access
In Namibia, approximately 64.9% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
be 14.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Namibia, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (96% in urban areas, and 74% 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.
Expenditures
spend 39.9% less on education
Namibia spends 9.1% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 28.5% less on healthcare
Namibia spends 9.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 74.4% less coastline
Namibia has a total of 1,572 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 44.2% less likely to be murdered
Namibia has a homicide rate of 11.2 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 56.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Namibia, road accidents kill 22.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 68.9% less home broadband
Namibia has 2.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 20.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Namibia, air pollution causes 43.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 33.3% more CO2
Namibia emits 1.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Namibia vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Namibia? See an in-depth size comparison.