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

Health

live 0.9 years longer

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 73 years (70 years for men, 75 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 56.5% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Guatemala, that number is 28.0% of people as of 2024.

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see 97.1% more spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Guatemala spends $935 as of 2023.

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have 2.3 times more doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Guatemala has 12.8 as of 2020.

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be 58.8% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 4.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 48.0% less likely to be unemployed

In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Guatemala, that number is 2.6% as of 2025.

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make 12.4% more money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Guatemala, the GDP per capita is $6,598 as of 2025.

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Life

be 17.1% less likely to be literate

In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Guatemala, it is 82.1% as of 2024.

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be 39.8% 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 Guatemala, on the other hand, 17.2 children do as of 2024.

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have 17.4% fewer children

In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Guatemala, there are 20.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 20.0% less likely to have internet access

In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Guatemala, about 60.2% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 43.6% less on education

Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Guatemala spends 3.1% of total GDP on education as of 2024.

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Safety

be 31.2% more likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Guatemala, they kill 12.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 6.1 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Guatemala has 5.3 as of 2024.

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Environment

emit 30.6% less CO2

Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Guatemala emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 17.6% more likely to die from air pollution

In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Guatemala, it causes 40.0 as of 2019.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this

Guatemala: At a glance

Guatemala is a sovereign country in Central America/Caribbean, with a total land area of approximately 107,159 sq km. The Maya civilization flourished in Guatemala and surrounding regions during the first millennium A.D. After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict, which had left more than 200,000 people dead and had created, by some estimates, about 1 million refugees.
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How big is Guatemala compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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