Quality of life comparison
If you lived in South Korea instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 11.8 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 87 years for women) as of 2024.
be 87.0% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In South Korea, that number is 8.4% of people as of 2024.
see 10.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). South Korea spends $5,081 as of 2024.
have 4.7 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. South Korea has 26.1 as of 2022.
have 61.8% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. South Korea scores 89 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In South Korea, it is 27.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 46.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In South Korea, that number is 2.7% as of 2025.
be 34.2% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In South Korea, however, that number is 14.4% as of 2016.
make 6.2 times more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in South Korea, the GDP per capita is $36,227 as of 2025.
Life
be 96.0% 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 South Korea, 4.0 women do as of 2023.
be 81.3% 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 South Korea, on the other hand, 2.3 children do as of 2024.
have 81.2% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In South Korea, there are 4.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 30.0% more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In South Korea, about 97.9% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.0% more on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In South Korea, that number is 8.7% of GDP as of 2024.
Geography
see 6.0 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In South Korea, that number is 2,413 km.
Safety
be 28.1% less likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In South Korea, they kill 6.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 54.3 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. South Korea has 47.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 44.1% less likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In South Korea, it causes 19.0 as of 2019.
emit 7.1 times more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. South Korea emits 11.4 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2016), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. South Korea
South Korea: At a glance
How big is South Korea compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.