Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Zambia instead of Samoa, you would:
Health
be 82.0% less likely to be obese
In Samoa, 64.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 11.6% of people as of 2024.
be 40.6% less likely to die by suicide
Samoa has a suicide rate of 12.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 7.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 5.3 years less
In Samoa, the average life expectancy is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024. In Zambia, that number is 67 years (64 years for men, 69 years for women) as of 2024.
see 48.6% less spent on your healthcare
Samoa spends $475 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Zambia spends $244 as of 2023.
have 42.2% fewer doctors per person
Samoa has 5.6 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Zambia has 3.2 as of 2022.
Economy
be 18.4% more likely to be unemployed
In Samoa, 5.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Zambia, that number is 5.9% as of 2025.
make 77.6% less money
Samoa has a GDP per capita of $5,873 as of 2025, while in Zambia, the GDP per capita is $1,318 as of 2025.
Life
be 15.8% 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 Zambia, 85.0 women do as of 2023.
have 31.0% more children
In Samoa, there are approximately 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Zambia, there are 32.7 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 27.6% less likely to be literate
In Samoa, the literacy rate is 99.1% as of 2021. In Zambia, it is 71.8% as of 2024.
be 2.8 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 Zambia, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 48.9% 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 Zambia, that number is 51% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 18% in rural areas) as of 2023.
be 77.3% less likely to have internet access
In Samoa, approximately 75.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Zambia, about 17.1% do as of 2024.
be 26.2% 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 Zambia, that number is 73% of people on average (90% in urban areas, and 58% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.5% less on education
Samoa spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Zambia spends 4.1% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 11.8% less on healthcare
Samoa spends 6.8% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Zambia, that number is 6.0% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 16.9% less likely to be murdered
Samoa has a homicide rate of 6.3 per 100,000 people as of 2018. In Zambia, that number is 5.2 per 100,000 as of 2015.
be 78.1% more likely to die in a road accident
In Samoa, road accidents kill 9.6 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Zambia, they kill 17.1 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 10.2% less home broadband
Samoa has 0.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Zambia has 0.8 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 66.2% less CO2
Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Zambia emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 47.1% more likely to die from air pollution
In Samoa, air pollution causes 34.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Zambia, it causes 50.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook (2021). How we calculate this
Compare further: Samoa vs. Zambia
Zambia: At a glance
How big is Zambia compared to Samoa? See an in-depth size comparison.