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

Health

live 10.5 years less

In Portugal, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 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.

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be 3.6 times more likely to be obese

In Portugal, 18.1% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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see 90.4% less spent on your healthcare

Portugal spends $4,928 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 90.4% fewer doctors per person

Portugal has 58.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 37.5% less access to essential health services

Portugal scores 88 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 18.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Portugal, 6.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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be 33.5% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Portugal, 16.4% live below the poverty line as of 2021. In Samoa, however, that number is 21.9% as of 2018.

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make 81.7% less money

Portugal has a GDP per capita of $32,082 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Life

have 3.2 times more children

In Portugal, there are approximately 7.9 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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be 6.7 times more likely to die during childbirth

In Portugal, approximately 15.0 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 4.6 times more likely to die during infancy

In Portugal, approximately 2.7 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.

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Basic Needs

be 14.9% less likely to have internet access

In Portugal, approximately 88.5% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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Expenditures

spend 33.8% less on healthcare

Portugal spends 10.2% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.

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spend 20.0% more on education

Portugal spends 4.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Geography

see 77.5% less coastline

Portugal has a total of 1,793 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

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Safety

be 33.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In Portugal, road accidents kill 7.2 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 98.1% less home broadband

Portugal has 45.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

emit 51.8% less CO2

Portugal emits 3.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 3.4 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Portugal, air pollution causes 10.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. 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 Portugal? See an in-depth size comparison.

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