Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Botswana instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 69.2% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 19.8% of people as of 2024.
see 2.8 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Botswana spends $1,310 as of 2023.
be 30.4% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Botswana, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 2.5 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Botswana, that number is 69 years (67 years for men, 72 years for women) as of 2024.
have 32.4% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Botswana has 3.8 as of 2023.
Economy
be 26.5% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Botswana, however, that number is 16.1% as of 2015.
make 32.4% more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Botswana, the GDP per capita is $7,778 as of 2025.
be 4.9 times more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Botswana, that number is 24.5% as of 2025.
Life
be 53.5% more 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 Botswana, 155.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.6 times 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 Botswana, on the other hand, 32.1 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 24.0% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Botswana, that number is 76% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 25% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 23.7% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Botswana, about 57.5% do as of 2024.
Safety
be 81.6% more likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Botswana, that number is 11.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 71.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Botswana, they kill 16.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 8.5 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Botswana has 7.4 as of 2024.
Environment
be 61.8% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Botswana, it causes 55.0 as of 2019.
emit 71.2% more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Botswana emits 2.7 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Botswana
Botswana: At a glance
How big is Botswana compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.