Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Somalia instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 76.8% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 14.9% of people as of 2024.
be 33.7% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 12.9 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Somalia, that number is 59 years (56 years for men, 62 years for women) as of 2024.
see 89.0% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Somalia spends $52 as of 2023.
have 50.9% less access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Somalia scores 27 as of 2021.
Economy
be 3.8 times more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Somalia, that number is 18.9% as of 2025.
make 88.7% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Somalia, the GDP per capita is $661 as of 2025.
Life
have 69.6% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Somalia, there are 42.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 5.6 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 Somalia, 563.0 women do as of 2023.
be 45.4% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Somalia, it is 54.1% as of 2022.
be 5.3 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 Somalia, on the other hand, 65.4 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 49.7% 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 Somalia, that number is 50% of people on average (79% in urban areas, and 24% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 62.9% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Somalia, about 27.9% do as of 2024.
be 24.3% 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 Somalia, that number is 75% of people on average (84% in urban areas, and 68% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.8% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Somalia, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 7.5 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Somalia, that number is 3,025 km.
Safety
be 2.1 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Somalia, they kill 20.2 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 18.2% less home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Somalia has 0.7 as of 2023.
Environment
emit 96.9% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Somalia emits 0.1 tonnes as of 2024.
be 88.2% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Somalia, it causes 64.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Somalia
Somalia: At a glance
How big is Somalia compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.