Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Samoa instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 2.9 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 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 26.8 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.
see 31.2% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Samoa spends $475 as of 2023.
have 49.3% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Samoa has 5.6 as of 2021.
have 19.1% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Samoa scores 55 as of 2021.
be 64.4% more likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Samoa, it is 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 15.9% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.
be 3.3 times more likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.
Life
have 86.1% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Samoa, there are 25.0 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 2.1 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Samoa, 101.0 women do as of 2023.
Basic Needs
be 10.5% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.
Expenditures
spend 88.9% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Samoa spends 5.5% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
spend 48.7% more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Samoa, that number is 6.8% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 88.3% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Samoa, that number is 403 km.
Safety
be 45.8% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Samoa, they kill 9.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 96.3% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Samoa has 0.9 as of 2022.
Environment
be 34.6% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Samoa, it causes 34.0 as of 2019.
emit 62.5% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Samoa emits 1.6 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: Vietnam vs. Samoa
Samoa: At a glance
How big is Samoa compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.