Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Bhutan instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 1.4 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 73 years (72 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.
be 79.7% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Bhutan, that number is 13.1% of people as of 2024.
see 42.6% more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Bhutan spends $677 as of 2023.
be 59.2% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 35.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Bhutan, that number is 3.2% as of 2025.
make 23.5% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Bhutan, the GDP per capita is $4,493 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.5% less likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 101.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Bhutan, 47.0 women do as of 2023.
be 34.5% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Bhutan, it is 64.9% as of 2022.
be 11.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 12.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Bhutan, on the other hand, 13.7 children do as of 2024.
have 49.8% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Bhutan, there are 12.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 21.2% more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Bhutan, about 91.3% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 34.8% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Bhutan, that number is 4.4% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 60.5% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Bhutan, that number is 2.5 per 100,000 as of 2020.
be 27.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Bhutan, they kill 12.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 3.3 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Bhutan has 2.9 as of 2024.
Environment
be 67.6% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Bhutan, it causes 57.0 as of 2019.
emit 25.6% more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Bhutan emits 2.0 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Bhutan
Bhutan: At a glance
How big is Bhutan compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.