If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of Samoa, you would:

Health

be 81.0% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 12.2% of people as of 2024.

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be 44.1% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 6.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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live 5.8 years less

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 66 years (64 years for men, 68 years for women) as of 2024.

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see 56.0% less spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Republic of the Congo spends $209 as of 2023.

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have 69.2% fewer doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Republic of the Congo has 1.7 as of 2022.

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have 25.5% less access to essential health services

Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Republic of the Congo scores 41 as of 2021.

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Economy

be 4.0 times more likely to be unemployed

In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 19.9% as of 2025.

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make 57.2% less money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Republic of the Congo, the GDP per capita is $2,515 as of 2025.

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Life

have 21.8% more children

In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, there are 30.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 2.4 times 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 Republic of the Congo, 241.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 18.7% less likely to be literate

In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, it is 80.6% as of 2021.

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be 2.2 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 Republic of the Congo, on the other hand, 27.0 children do as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 48.7% 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 Republic of the Congo, that number is 51% of people on average (69% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023.

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be 37.2% less likely to have internet access

In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Republic of the Congo, about 47.2% do as of 2024.

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be 26.1% less likely to have access to drinking water

In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 73% of people on average (87% in urban areas, and 44% in rural areas) as of 2021.

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Expenditures

spend 38.8% less on education

Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Republic of the Congo spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 51.3% less on healthcare

Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 3.3% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 58.1% less coastline

Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Republic of the Congo, that number is 169 km.

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Safety

be 12.5% less likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Republic of the Congo, they kill 8.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 44.3% more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Republic of the Congo has 1.3 as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 16.2% less CO2

Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Republic of the Congo emits 1.3 tonnes as of 2024.

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be 94.1% more likely to die from air pollution

In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Republic of the Congo, it causes 66.0 as of 2019.

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

Republic of the Congo: At a glance

Republic of the Congo is a sovereign country in Africa, with a total land area of approximately 341,500 sq km. Upon independence in 1960, the former French region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a democratically elected government took office in 1992. A brief civil war in 1997 restored former Marxist President Denis SASSOU-Nguesso, and ushered in a period of ethnic and political unrest. Southern-based rebel groups agreed to a final peace accord in March 2003, but the calm is tenuous and refugees continue to present a humanitarian crisis. The Republic of Congo is one of Africa's largest petroleum producers, but with declining production it will need new offshore oil finds to sustain its oil earnings over the long term.
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How big is Republic of the Congo compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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