Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Tonga, you would:
Health
be 12.9% less likely to be obese
In Tonga, 73.8% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
live 1.2 years less
In Tonga, the average life expectancy is 73 years (70 years for men, 77 years for women) as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 72 years (70 years for men, 74 years for women) as of 2024.
have 44.7% fewer doctors per person
Tonga has 10.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
be 2.5 times more likely to die by suicide
Tonga has a suicide rate of 4.7 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 2.5 times more likely to be unemployed
In Tonga, 2.0% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 10.3% less money
Tonga has a GDP per capita of $6,547 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
be 50.7% more likely to die during childbirth
In Tonga, approximately 67.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 57.7% more likely to die during infancy
In Tonga, approximately 7.8 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.
Basic Needs
be 11.6% more likely to have internet access
In Tonga, approximately 67.4% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Safety
be 6.6 times more likely to be murdered
Tonga has a homicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, that number is 6.3 per 100,000 as of 2018.
be 12.9% more likely to die in a road accident
In Tonga, road accidents kill 8.5 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 89.2% less home broadband
Tonga has 8.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 41.7% more likely to die from air pollution
In Tonga, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Tonga vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Tonga? See an in-depth size comparison.