If you lived in Samoa instead of Republic of the Congo, you would:

Health

live 5.8 years longer

In Republic of the Congo, the average life expectancy is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 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 2.3 times more spent on your healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends $209 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.

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have 3.2 times more doctors per person

Republic of the Congo has 1.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.

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have 34.1% more access to essential health services

Republic of the Congo 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 5.3 times more likely to be obese

In Republic of the Congo, 12.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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be 78.8% more likely to die by suicide

Republic of the Congo has a suicide rate of 6.7 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 74.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Republic of the Congo, 19.9% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 2.3 times more money

Republic of the Congo has a GDP per capita of $2,515 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Life

be 58.1% less likely to die during childbirth

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 241.0 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 23.0% more likely to be literate

In Republic of the Congo, the literacy rate is 80.6% as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.

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be 54.4% less likely to die during infancy

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 27.0 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.

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have 17.9% fewer children

In Republic of the Congo, there are approximately 30.4 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 94.9% more likely to have access to electricity

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 51% of people have electricity access (69% in urban areas, and 11% 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 59.3% more likely to have internet access

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 47.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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be 35.3% more likely to have access to drinking water

In Republic of the Congo, approximately 73% of people have access to drinking water (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021. 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 63.5% more on education

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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 2.1 times more on healthcare

Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% 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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Geography

see 2.4 times more coastline

Republic of the Congo has a total of 169 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.

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Safety

be 14.3% more likely to die in a road accident

In Republic of the Congo, road accidents kill 8.4 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 30.7% less home broadband

Republic of the Congo has 1.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2023. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.

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Environment

be 48.5% less likely to die from air pollution

In Republic of the Congo, air pollution causes 66.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.

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emit 19.4% more CO2

Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 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 (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). 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 Republic of the Congo? See an in-depth size comparison.

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