Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Norway, you would:
Health
live 11.3 years less
In Norway, the average life expectancy is 83 years (82 years for men, 85 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 3.2 times more likely to be obese
In Norway, 20.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 95.0% less spent on your healthcare
Norway spends $9,523 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 88.7% fewer doctors per person
Norway has 49.8 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 36.8% less access to essential health services
Norway scores 87 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 79.5% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Norway, 12.2% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.
make 93.8% less money
Norway has a GDP per capita of $94,594 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.6 times more children
In Norway, there are approximately 9.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 101.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Norway, approximately 1.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 6.2 times more likely to die during infancy
In Norway, approximately 2.0 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 23.9% less likely to have internet access
In Norway, approximately 99.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 28.1% less on healthcare
Norway spends 9.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 98.4% less coastline
Norway has a total of 25,148 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 6.4 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Norway, road accidents kill 1.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 98.1% less home broadband
Norway has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 77.7% less CO2
Norway emits 7.2 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 4.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Norway, air pollution causes 8.0 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: Norway vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Norway? See an in-depth size comparison.