Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Turkmenistan instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 65.4% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 22.2% of people as of 2024.
see 2.7 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Turkmenistan spends $1,264 as of 2023.
have 3.4 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Turkmenistan has 19.3 as of 2023.
have 36.4% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Turkmenistan scores 75 as of 2021.
be 43.1% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, it is 6.8 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 1.6 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, that number is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 14.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Turkmenistan, that number is 4.3% as of 2025.
make 11.4% more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Turkmenistan, the GDP per capita is $6,540 as of 2025.
Life
be 95.0% 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 Turkmenistan, 5.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.5 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 Turkmenistan, on the other hand, 30.4 children do as of 2024.
have 16.3% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Turkmenistan, there are 20.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 66.4% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Turkmenistan, about 25.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 21.4% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 18.9% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Turkmenistan, that number is 5.5% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 83.9% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Turkmenistan, that number is 1.0 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 16.7% less likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Turkmenistan, they kill 8.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 5.9 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Turkmenistan has 5.2 as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.6 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Turkmenistan, it causes 87.0 as of 2019.
emit 6.8 times more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Turkmenistan emits 10.9 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan: At a glance
How big is Turkmenistan compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.