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

Health

live 4.6 years longer

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 80 years for women) as of 2024.

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be 49.6% less likely to be obese

In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Romania, that number is 32.4% of people as of 2024.

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see 5.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Romania spends $2,614 as of 2023.

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have 6.5 times more doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Romania has 36.2 as of 2022.

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have 41.8% more access to essential health services

Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Romania scores 78 as of 2021.

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be 19.8% less likely to die by suicide

Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Romania, it is 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Economy

make 3.8 times more money

Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Romania, the GDP per capita is $22,538 as of 2025.

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be 19.8% more likely to be unemployed

In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Romania, that number is 6.0% as of 2025.

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Life

be 88.1% 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 Romania, 12.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 51.2% 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 Romania, on the other hand, 6.0 children do as of 2024.

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have 70.0% fewer children

In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Romania, there are 7.5 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Basic Needs

be 21.3% more likely to have internet access

In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Romania, about 91.3% do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 39.9% less on education

Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Romania spends 3.3% of total GDP on education as of 2022.

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spend 15.8% less on healthcare

Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Romania, that number is 5.7% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 44.2% less coastline

Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Romania, that number is 225 km.

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Infrastructure

find 40.7 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Romania has 35.8 as of 2024.

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Environment

be 35.3% more likely to die from air pollution

In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Romania, it causes 46.0 as of 2019.

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emit 2.3 times more CO2

Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Romania emits 3.7 tonnes as of 2024.

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

Romania: At a glance

Romania is a sovereign country in Europe, with a total land area of approximately 229,891 sq km. The principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia - for centuries under the suzerainty of the Turkish Ottoman Empire - secured their autonomy in 1856; they were de facto linked in 1859 and formally united in 1862 under the new name of Romania. The country gained recognition of its independence in 1878. It joined the Allied Powers in World War I and acquired new territories - most notably Transylvania - following the conflict. In 1940, Romania allied with the Axis powers and participated in the 1941 German invasion of the USSR. Three years later, overrun by the Soviets, Romania signed an armistice. The post-war Soviet occupation led to the formation of a communist "people's republic" in 1947 and the abdication of the king. The decades-long rule of dictator Nicolae CEAUSESCU, who took power in 1965, and his Securitate police state became increasingly oppressive and draconian through the 1980s. CEAUSESCU was overthrown and executed in late 1989. Former communists dominated the government until 1996 when they were swept from power. Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
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How big is Romania compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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