Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Sri Lanka instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 5.8 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 78 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
be 82.5% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, that number is 11.2% of people as of 2024.
have 2.0 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Sri Lanka has 11.4 as of 2023.
have 21.8% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Sri Lanka scores 67 as of 2021.
be 22.8% more likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, it is 14.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 20.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Sri Lanka, that number is 4.0% as of 2025.
be 34.7% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Samoa, 21.9% live below the poverty line as of 2018. In Sri Lanka, however, that number is 14.3% as of 2019.
make 14.8% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Sri Lanka, the GDP per capita is $5,002 as of 2025.
Life
be 82.2% 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 Sri Lanka, 18.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.7% 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 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, 5.2 children do as of 2024.
have 59.6% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Sri Lanka, there are 10.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 27.5% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Sri Lanka, about 54.6% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 66.5% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Sri Lanka spends 1.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 45.7% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.7% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Sri Lanka, that number is 1,340 km.
Safety
be 47.1% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Sri Lanka, that number is 3.3 per 100,000 as of 2019.
be 19.8% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Sri Lanka, they kill 11.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 9.6 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Sri Lanka has 8.5 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 33.8% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Sri Lanka emits 1.1 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2021–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka: At a glance
How big is Sri Lanka compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.