Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

be 38.3% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Iraq, that number is 39.7% of people as of 2024.

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see 77.6% more spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Iraq spends $843 as of 2023.

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have 82.2% more doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Iraq has 10.2 as of 2022.

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be 75.2% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 3.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed

In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Iraq, that number is 15.5% as of 2025.

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Life

be 34.7% 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 Iraq, 66.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 15.2% less likely to be literate

In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Iraq, it is 84.1% as of 2021.

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be 63.4% 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 Iraq, on the other hand, 20.1 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 18.4% less on healthcare

Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Iraq, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 85.6% less coastline

Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Iraq, that number is 58 km.

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Safety

be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Iraq, they kill 21.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 20.0 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Iraq has 17.6 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution

In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Iraq, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.

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emit 3.2 times more CO2

Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Iraq emits 5.2 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Compare further: Samoa vs. Iraq

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Iraq is 0.5% more expensive than Samoa overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Samoa is about 155 times smaller than Iraq.
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Moving from Samoa to Iraq · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Iraq: At a glance

Iraq is a sovereign country in Middle East, with a total land area of approximately 437,367 sq km. Formerly part of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq was occupied by Britain during the course of World War I; in 1920, it was declared a League of Nations mandate under UK administration. In stages over the next dozen years, Iraq attained its independence as a kingdom in 1932. A "republic" was proclaimed in 1958, but in actuality a series of strongmen ruled the country until 2003. The last was SADDAM Husayn. Territorial disputes with Iran led to an inconclusive and costly eight-year war (1980-88). In August 1990, Iraq seized Kuwait but was expelled by US-led, UN coalition forces during the Gulf War of January-February 1991. Following Kuwait's liberation, the UN Security Council (UNSC) required Iraq to scrap all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. Continued Iraqi noncompliance with UNSC resolutions over a period of 12 years led to the US-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003 and the ouster of the SADDAM Husayn regime. US forces remained in Iraq under a UNSC mandate through 2009 and under a bilateral security agreement thereafter, helping to provide security and to train and mentor Iraqi security forces. In October 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and, pursuant to this document, elected a 275-member Council of Representatives (COR) in December 2005. The COR approved most cabinet ministers in May 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. In January 2009 and April 2013, Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all governorates except for the three governorates comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and Kirkuk Governorate. Iraq held a national legislative election in March 2010 - choosing 325 legislators in an expanded COR - and, after nine months of deadlock the COR approved the new government in December 2010. Nearly nine years after the start of the Second Gulf War in Iraq, US military operations there ended in mid-December 2011.
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How big is Iraq compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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