Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Uruguay, you would:
Health
be 51.5% less likely to die by suicide
Uruguay has a suicide rate of 24.8 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.5 years less
In Uruguay, the average life expectancy is 78 years (74 years for men, 82 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 83.9% more likely to be obese
In Uruguay, 35.0% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 84.9% less spent on your healthcare
Uruguay spends $3,135 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 88.0% fewer doctors per person
Uruguay has 46.7 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 32.9% less access to essential health services
Uruguay scores 82 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
Economy
be 33.5% less likely to be unemployed
In Uruguay, 7.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
make 76.7% less money
Uruguay has a GDP per capita of $25,216 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Uruguay, there are approximately 9.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 6.7 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Uruguay, approximately 15.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
be 98.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Uruguay, approximately 6.2 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 18.2% less likely to have internet access
In Uruguay, approximately 92.0% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 24.8% less on healthcare
Uruguay spends 9.0% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
spend 14.7% more on education
Uruguay spends 4.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 38.9% less coastline
Uruguay has a total of 660 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 26.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Uruguay, road accidents kill 13.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 97.3% less home broadband
Uruguay has 33.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
emit 37.7% less CO2
Uruguay emits 2.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 tonnes as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Uruguay, air pollution causes 16.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Uruguay vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Uruguay? See an in-depth size comparison.