Quality of life comparison
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
live 11.2 years longer
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 83 years (82 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2024.
be 50.8% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 31.6% of people as of 2024.
see 7.9 times more spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). United Arab Emirates spends $3,727 as of 2023.
have 5.3 times more doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. United Arab Emirates has 29.9 as of 2023.
have 49.1% more access to essential health services
Samoa scores 55 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. United Arab Emirates scores 82 as of 2021.
be 85.8% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, it is 1.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 56.6% less likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 2.2% as of 2025.
make 8.6 times more money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in United Arab Emirates, the GDP per capita is $50,274 as of 2024.
Life
be 97.0% 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 United Arab Emirates, 3.0 women do as of 2023.
be 69.1% 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 United Arab Emirates, on the other hand, 3.8 children do as of 2024.
have 60.7% fewer children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United Arab Emirates, there are 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 32.8% more likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In United Arab Emirates, about 100.0% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 28.8% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United Arab Emirates spends 3.9% of total GDP on education as of 2021.
spend 26.7% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 5.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 3.3 times more coastline
Samoa has a total of 403 km of coastline. In United Arab Emirates, that number is 1,318 km.
Safety
be 38.5% less likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In United Arab Emirates, they kill 5.9 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 46.4 times more home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. United Arab Emirates has 40.8 as of 2024.
Environment
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In United Arab Emirates, it causes 70.0 as of 2019.
emit 11.4 times more CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United Arab Emirates emits 18.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates: At a glance
How big is United Arab Emirates compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.