Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Tuvalu fits inside Samoa 109 times
Samoa: 2,840 km² (2024) · Tuvalu: 26 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Samoa’s coastline is 17 times as long as Tuvalu’s
Samoa: 403 km (2026 edition) · Tuvalu: 24 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Samoa’s highest peak towers 1,852 m above Tuvalu’s
Samoa: 1,857 m (2026 edition) · Tuvalu: 5 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 100% of Tuvalu, versus 18% of Samoa
Samoa: 17.8% (2024) · Tuvalu: 100% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Samoa has 23 times as many people as Tuvalu
Samoa: 219,306 (2025) · Tuvalu: 9,492 (2025)
How crowded is it?
Tuvalu is 4.6 times as densely populated as Samoa
Samoa: 79 per km² (2025) · Tuvalu: 365 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Samoa are 3.1 cm taller than in Tuvalu
Samoa: 174.4 cm (2019) · Tuvalu: 171.3 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Samoa and Tuvalu are practically level
Samoa: 163.8 cm (2019) · Tuvalu: 163.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Tuvalu is 4.4 years older than in Samoa
Samoa: 19.9 years (2023) · Tuvalu: 24.3 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Samoa have 0.6 more children on average than in Tuvalu
Samoa: 3.8 children per woman (2024) · Tuvalu: 3.17 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
7.0% of people in Tuvalu are 65 or older, versus 6.1% in Samoa
Samoa: 6.1% (2025) · Tuvalu: 7% (2025)
How many official languages?
Samoa and Tuvalu are practically level
Samoa: 2 (2026) · Tuvalu: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Samoa’s economy is 22 times the size of Tuvalu’s
Samoa: $1.29 billion (2025) · Tuvalu: $57.3 million (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Samoa produces 38% more per person than Tuvalu
Samoa: Int$9,319 (2025) · Tuvalu: Int$6,759 (2025)
How many people are looking for work?
Samoa: 5% (2025) · Tuvalu: no data
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Samoa: 24% (2023) · Tuvalu: no data
How expensive is it?
Tuvalu’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Samoa’s
Samoa: 63% (2025) · Tuvalu: 89% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Tuvalu spends 5.9 times as much on health per person as Samoa
Samoa: $293 (2023) · Tuvalu: $1,724 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Samoa live 4.6 years longer than in Tuvalu
Samoa: 71.8 years (2024) · Tuvalu: 67.3 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Tuvalu is 34% more likely to die before turning one than in Samoa
Samoa: 12.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Tuvalu: 16.5 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Tuvalu has 2.4 times as many doctors per person as Samoa
Samoa: 0.6 per 1,000 (2021) · Tuvalu: 1.3 per 1,000 (2020)
How common is suicide?
Samoa: 12.1 per 100k (2023) · Tuvalu: no data
How common is obesity?
65% of adults in Tuvalu are obese, versus 63% in Samoa
Samoa: 63.2% (2024) · Tuvalu: 64.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
33% of adults in Tuvalu smoke, versus 23% in Samoa
Samoa: 23.1% (2024) · Tuvalu: 33.4% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How much do people drink?
Adults in Samoa drink 3.9 times as much alcohol as in Tuvalu
Samoa: 2.9 litres (2023) · Tuvalu: 0.8 litres (2017)
How much meat is on the menu?
Samoa has 28% more meat per person than Tuvalu
Samoa: 109 kg (2023) · Tuvalu: 85.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Tuvalu has 179 kcal more food per person per day than Samoa
Samoa: 3,116 kcal (2023) · Tuvalu: 3,295 kcal (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Samoa went to school 0.57 years longer than in Tuvalu
Samoa: 11.3 years (2023) · Tuvalu: 10.8 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Samoa welcomed 9.4 times as many tourists per resident as Tuvalu (2019)
Samoa: 0.23 (2022) · Tuvalu: 0.02 (2022)
How many World Heritage sites?
Samoa and Tuvalu are practically level
Samoa: 0 (2026) · Tuvalu: 0 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Samoa has won 1 Olympic medal, Tuvalu none
Samoa: 1 (2026 edition) · Tuvalu: 0 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
35% of people in Tuvalu are online, versus 21% in Samoa
Samoa: 21% (2014) · Tuvalu: 35% (2017)
Who has electricity at home?
Samoa and Tuvalu are practically level
Samoa: 100% (2024) · Tuvalu: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
65% of people in Tuvalu live in cities, versus 18% in Samoa
Samoa: 18% (2025) · Tuvalu: 65% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Tuvalu has 99 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Samoa 62
Samoa: 62 (2022) · Tuvalu: 99 (2022)
How much do they fly?
Samoa: 0.19 (2023) · Tuvalu: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 58% of Samoa, but only 40% of Tuvalu
Samoa: 57.6% (2024) · Tuvalu: 39.6% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Tuvalu emits 5% more CO₂ than someone in Samoa
Samoa: 1.1 t (2024) · Tuvalu: 1.2 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
Samoa: 43.8% (2024) · Tuvalu: no data
How clean is the air?
The air in Tuvalu carries 10% more fine dust than in Samoa
Samoa: 4.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Tuvalu: 4.5 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Samoa: 6.3 per 100k (2018) · Tuvalu: 0 per 100k (2019)
How dangerous are the roads?
Samoa: 12.8 per 100k (2023) · Tuvalu: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Samoa: 25.5°C (2016–2025 avg) · Tuvalu: no data
How much rain falls?
Samoa: 3,005 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Tuvalu: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Samoa bigger than Tuvalu?
Samoa is larger. Tuvalu fits inside Samoa 109 times.
Which has more people, Samoa or Tuvalu?
Samoa has 23 times as many people as Tuvalu (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Samoa or Tuvalu?
People in Samoa live 4.6 years longer than in Tuvalu. Life expectancy at birth is 71.8 years in Samoa and 67.3 in Tuvalu.
Are people taller in Samoa or Tuvalu?
Men in Samoa are 3.1 cm taller than in Tuvalu (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).