Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 3.9 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
be 17.8 times more likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
have 25.4% fewer doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
be 3.4 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 4.4 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
be 3.1 times more likely to be unemployed
In Timor-Leste, 1.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
be 47.4% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 42.8% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Samoa, it is 99.1% as of 2021.
be 64.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Samoa, on the other hand, 12.3 children do as of 2024.
have 14.7% more children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 84.8% more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
be 13.9% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 99% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 99% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.4% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 42.9% less coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 20.0% less likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
be 53.8% more likely to be murdered
Timor-Leste has a homicide rate of 4.1 per 100,000 people as of 2015. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
Infrastructure
find 88.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.3% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 3.2 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2015–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), The World Factbook (2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.