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

Health

be 39.3% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Fiji, that number is 39.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 15.4% more spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Fiji spends $548 as of 2023.

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be 31.1% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Fiji, it is 8.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 4.4 years less

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Fiji, that number is 67 years (65 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

make 13.1% more money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Fiji, the GDP per capita is $6,642 as of 2025.

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be 10.0% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Fiji, however, that number is 24.1% as of 2019.

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Life

be 70.3% 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 Fiji, 30.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 91.1% 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 Fiji, on the other hand, 23.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 28.5% fewer children

In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Fiji, there are 17.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 22.2% less on education

Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Fiji spends 4.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 46.6% less on healthcare

Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Fiji, that number is 3.6% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 2.8 times more coastline

Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Fiji, that number is 1,129 km.

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Safety

be 44.8% less likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Fiji, they kill 5.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 2.0 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Fiji has 1.8 as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Fiji: At a glance

Fiji is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 18,274 sq km. Fiji became independent in 1970 after nearly a century as a British colony. Democratic rule was interrupted by two military coups in 1987 caused by concern over a government perceived as dominated by the Indian community (descendants of contract laborers brought to the islands by the British in the 19th century). The coups and a 1990 constitution that cemented native Melanesian control of Fiji led to heavy Indian emigration; the population loss resulted in economic difficulties, but ensured that Melanesians became the majority. A new constitution enacted in 1997 was more equitable. Free and peaceful elections in 1999 resulted in a government led by an Indo-Fijian, but a civilian-led coup in May 2000 ushered in a prolonged period of political turmoil. Parliamentary elections held in August 2001 provided Fiji with a democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Laisenia QARASE. Re-elected in May 2006, QARASE was ousted in a December 2006 military coup led by Commodore Voreqe BAINIMARAMA, who initially appointed himself acting president but in January 2007 became interim prime minister. Since taking power BAINIMARAMA has neutralized his opponents, crippled Fiji's democratic institutions, and initially refused to hold elections. In 2012, he promised to hold elections in 2014.
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How big is Fiji compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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