Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Nicaragua, you would:
Health
live 3.3 years less
In Nicaragua, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 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 84.2% more likely to be obese
In Nicaragua, 34.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 31.1% less spent on your healthcare
Nicaragua spends $689 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 17.7% fewer doctors per person
Nicaragua has 6.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2018. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 21.4% less access to essential health services
Nicaragua scores 70 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 2.8 times more likely to die by suicide
Nicaragua 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.
Economy
be 12.0% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Nicaragua, 24.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 85.1% more money
Nicaragua has a GDP per capita of $3,173 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 30.5% more children
In Nicaragua, there are approximately 19.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 68.3% more likely to die during childbirth
In Nicaragua, approximately 60.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 30.9% more likely to die during infancy
In Nicaragua, approximately 9.4 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 13.3% more likely to have access to electricity
In Nicaragua, approximately 88% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 71% 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 22.6% more likely to have internet access
In Nicaragua, approximately 61.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 18.3% less on healthcare
Nicaragua spends 8.3% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 90.2% more on education
Nicaragua spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 55.7% less coastline
Nicaragua has a total of 910 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 44.8% less likely to be murdered
Nicaragua has a homicide rate of 11.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 29.4% less likely to die in a road accident
In Nicaragua, road accidents kill 13.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 84.8% less home broadband
Nicaragua has 5.8 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 10.5% less likely to die from air pollution
In Nicaragua, air pollution causes 38.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 92.8% more CO2
Nicaragua emits 0.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2016–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Nicaragua vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Nicaragua? See an in-depth size comparison.