Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Uganda instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 85.3% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 9.5% of people as of 2024.
be 54.2% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 5.5 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.3 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 68 years (65 years for men, 71 years for women) as of 2024.
see 70.8% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Uganda spends $139 as of 2023.
have 66.0% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Uganda has 1.9 as of 2022.
have 10.9% less access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Uganda scores 49 as of 2021.
Economy
be 45.0% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Uganda, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 79.5% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Uganda, the GDP per capita is $1,206 as of 2025.
Life
have 37.9% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Uganda, there are 34.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
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 Uganda, 170.0 women do as of 2023.
be 22.3% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Uganda, it is 77.0% as of 2024.
be 2.9 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 Uganda, on the other hand, 35.9 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.5% less likely to have access to electricity
In Samoa, approximately 100% of people have electricity access (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 52% of people on average (76% in urban areas, and 42% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 88.1% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Uganda, about 8.9% do as of 2024.
be 36.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Samoa, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Uganda, that number is 63% of people on average (80% in urban areas, and 57% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 53.1% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Uganda spends 2.6% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 37.5% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Uganda, that number is 4.2% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 66.7% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Uganda, they kill 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 76.1% less home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Uganda has 0.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 89.4% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Uganda emits 0.2 tonnes as of 2024.
be 76.5% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Uganda, it causes 60.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Uganda
Uganda: At a glance
How big is Uganda compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.