Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Costa Rica instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 9.2 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 81 years (78 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 49.1% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Costa Rica, that number is 32.7% of people as of 2024.
see 4.1 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Costa Rica spends $1,928 as of 2023.
have 4.8 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Costa Rica has 26.9 as of 2022.
have 47.3% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Costa Rica scores 81 as of 2021.
be 32.8% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Costa Rica, it is 8.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.4 times more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Costa Rica, the GDP per capita is $19,970 as of 2025.
be 36.8% more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Costa Rica, that number is 6.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 76.2% 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 Costa Rica, 24.0 women do as of 2023.
be 26.0% less 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 Costa Rica, on the other hand, 9.1 children do as of 2024.
have 60.0% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Costa Rica, there are 10.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 15.8% more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Costa Rica, about 87.2% do as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.2 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Costa Rica, that number is 1,290 km.
Safety
be 61.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Costa Rica, they kill 15.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 26.5 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Costa Rica has 23.3 as of 2024.
Environment
be 55.9% less likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Costa Rica, it causes 15.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Costa Rica
Costa Rica: At a glance
How big is Costa Rica compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.