Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Tuvalu instead of Samoa, you would:

Health

see 3.5 times more spent on your healthcare

Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Tuvalu spends $1,671 as of 2023.

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have 2.4 times more doctors per person

Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Tuvalu has 13.5 as of 2020.

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live 4.6 years less

In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Tuvalu, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.

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Life

be 68.3% 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 Tuvalu, 170.0 women do as of 2023.

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be 34.1% 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 Tuvalu, on the other hand, 16.5 children do as of 2024.

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have 12.0% fewer children

In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Tuvalu, there are 22.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 2.4 times more on education

Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Tuvalu spends 12.8% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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spend 4.0 times more on healthcare

Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Tuvalu, that number is 27.1% of GDP as of 2023.

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Geography

see 94.0% less coastline

Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In Tuvalu, that number is 24 km.

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Safety

be 86.5% more likely to die in a road accident

In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Tuvalu, they kill 17.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.

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Infrastructure

find 5.1 times more home broadband

Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Tuvalu has 4.5 as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2020–2024), The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators (2021). How we calculate this

Compare further: Samoa vs. Tuvalu

Cost of Living Comparison · 2 categories - 2026 data
Tuvalu is 51.6% cheaper than Samoa overall
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Size Comparison · See true size
Samoa is about 109 times bigger than Tuvalu.
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Moving from Samoa to Tuvalu · UN DESA 2020
2 people born in Samoa live in Tuvalu.
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Tuvalu: At a glance

Tuvalu is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 26 sq km. In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.
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How big is Tuvalu compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.

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