Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Africa instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 40.2% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 47.3% of adults are obese as of 2016. In South Africa, that number is 28.3% of people as of 2016.
live 9.9 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 75 years (72 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2022. In South Africa, that number is 65 years (64 years for men, 67 years for women) as of 2022.
Economy
make 82.5% more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $6,300 as of 2020, while in South Africa, the GDP per capita is $11,500 as of 2020.
be 18.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 20.3% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In South Africa, however, that number is 16.6% as of 2016.
be 5.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.2% of adults are unemployed as of 2017. In South Africa, that number is 28.5% as of 2019.
pay a 66.7% higher top tax rate
Samoa has a top tax rate of 27.0% as of 2016. In South Africa, the top tax rate is 45.0% as of 2017.
Life
be 2.8 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Samoa, approximately 43.0 women per 100,000 births die during labor as of 2017. In South Africa, 119.0 women do as of 2017.
be 52.2% more likely to die during infancy
In Samoa, approximately 17.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2020. In South Africa, on the other hand, 25.9 children do as of 2022.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 34.0% of the population has internet access as of 2019. In South Africa, about 70.0% do as of 2020.
Expenditures
spend 41.7% more on education
Samoa spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. South Africa spends 6.8% of total GDP on education as of 2020.
spend 42.2% more on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.4% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2019. In South Africa, that number is 9.1% of GDP as of 2019.
Geography
see 6.9 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In South Africa, that number is 2,798 km.
The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, South African Revenue Service, Ministry of Revenue, Samoa.
South Africa: At a glance
How big is South Africa compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.