Samoa

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 1,692 (2020 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

state-owned TV station privatized in 2008; 4 privately owned television broadcast stations; about a half-dozen privately owned radio stations and one state-owned radio station; TV and radio broadcasts of several stations from American Samoa are available (2019)

Internet country code

.ws

Internet users

total: 171,600 (2021 est.) percent of population: 78% (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

general assessment: Samoa was one of the first Pacific Island countries to establish a regulatory infrastructure and to liberalize its telecom market; the advent of competition in the mobile market saw prices fall by around 50% and network coverage increase to more than 90% of the population; Samoa also boasts one of the highest rates of mobile phone coverage in the Pacific region; the growth of fixed-line internet has been impeded by factors including the high costs for bandwidth, under investment in fixed-line infrastructure; Samoa s telecoms sector has been inhibited by a lack of international connectivity; Samoa has had access to the Samoa-America-Samoa (SAS) cable laid in 2009, this cable has insufficient capacity to meet the country s future bandwidth needs; this issue was addressed with two new submarine cables that became available in 2018 and 2019; combined with the Samoa National Broadband Highway (SNBH), have improved internet data rates and reliability, and have helped to reduce the high costs previously associated with internet access in Samoa; in April 2022, the Samoan government announced its decision to take over control of the Samoa Submarine Cable Company, looking to the cable to generate additional revenue for the state (2022) domestic: fixed-line is 3 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity 32 telephones per 100 persons (2021) international: country code - 685; landing points for the Tui-Samo, Manatua, SAS, and Southern Cross NEXT submarine cables providing connectivity to Samoa, Fiji, Wallis Futuna, Cook Islands, Niue, French Polynesia, American Samoa, Australia, New Zealand, Kiribati, Los Angeles (US), and Tokelau; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2019)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 5,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 2 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 134,000 (2022 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 60 (2022 est.)

Agricultural products

coconuts, taro, bananas, tropical fruits, pineapples, mangoes/guavas, papayas, root vegetables, milk, pork (2022) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Budget

revenues: $342.18 million (2021 est.) expenditures: $297.736 million (2021 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Current account balance

$46.511 million (2023 est.) -$86.678 million (2022 est.) -$114.383 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Debt - external

$279.335 million (2022 est.) note: present value of external debt in current US dollars

Economic overview

ower middle-income Pacific island economy; enormous fishing and agriculture industries; significant remittances; growing offshore financial hub; recently hosted Pacific Games to drive tourism and infrastructure growth

Exchange rates

tala (SAT) per US dollar - 2.738 (2023 est.) 2.689 (2022 est.) 2.556 (2021 est.) 2.665 (2020 est.) 2.649 (2019 est.)

Exports

$347.19 million (2023 est.) $162.803 million (2022 est.) $97.774 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars

Exports - commodities

coconut oil, integrated circuits, insulated wire, citrus, power equipment (2022) note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Exports - partners

India 23%, US 19%, NZ 12%, Hungary 8%, Poland 6% (2022) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports

GDP (official exchange rate)

$934.1 million (2023 est.) note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 86.2% (2023 est.) government consumption: 18.2% (2023 est.) investment in fixed capital: 34.7% (2023 est.) investment in inventories: 2.6% (2023 est.) exports of goods and services: 28.9% (2023 est.) imports of goods and services: -62.2% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 11% (2023 est.) industry: 11% (2023 est.) services: 67.6% (2023 est.) note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Imports

$560.488 million (2023 est.) $512.002 million (2022 est.) $430.011 million (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, coated flat-rolled iron, fish, poultry, ships (2022) note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Imports - partners

China 25%, Singapore 16%, NZ 14%, South Korea 7%, US 7% (2022) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports

Industrial production growth rate

-1.9% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Industries

food processing, building materials, auto parts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.12% (2023 est.) 10.96% (2022 est.) 3.13% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Labor force

77,000 (2023 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Population below poverty line

21.9% (2018 est.) note: % of population with income below national poverty line

Public debt

49.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$1.359 billion (2023 est.) $1.258 billion (2022 est.) $1.329 billion (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Real GDP growth rate

7.99% (2023 est.) -5.31% (2022 est.) -7.08% (2021 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real GDP per capita

$6,000 (2023 est.) $5,700 (2022 est.) $6,100 (2021 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

Remittances

28.36% of GDP (2023 est.) 33.61% of GDP (2022 est.) 29.44% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$447.09 million (2023 est.) $321.163 million (2022 est.) $294.682 million (2021 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Taxes and other revenues

25.02% (of GDP) (2021 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Unemployment rate

9.75% (2023 est.) 9.92% (2022 est.) 10.37% (2021 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 19.8% (2023 est.) male: 13.4% (2023 est.) female: 29.9% (2023 est.) note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Carbon dioxide emissions

311,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 311,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 53,000 kW (2022 est.) consumption: 177.279 million kWh (2022 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 17.175 million kWh (2022 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 98.3% (2022 est.) electrification - urban areas: 100% electrification - rural areas: 97.9%

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 66.9% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) solar: 12.3% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) wind: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) hydroelectricity: 20.6% of total installed capacity (2022 est.) biomass and waste: 0.1% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

20.949 million Btu/person (2022 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption: 2,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Air pollutants

particulate matter emissions: 7.78 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.) carbon dioxide emissions: 0.25 megatons (2016 est.) methane emissions: 0.27 megatons (2020 est.)

Climate

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

Environment - current issues

soil erosion, deforestation, invasive species, overfishing

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Land use

agricultural land: 12.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 1.8% (2018 est.) forest: 60.4% (2018 est.) other: 27.2% (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0.27% of GDP (2018 est.)

Total renewable water resources

0 cubic meters (2017 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 17.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually: 27,399 tons (2011 est.) municipal solid waste recycled annually: 9,864 tons (2013 est.) percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 36% (2013 est.)

Area

total : 2,831 sq km land: 2,821 sq km water: 10 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Climate

tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)

Coastline

403 km

Elevation

highest point: Mount Silisili 1,857 m lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Geographic coordinates

13 35 S, 172 20 W

Geography - note

occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2022)

Land boundaries

total: 0 km

Land use

agricultural land: 12.4% (2018 est.) arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 1.8% (2018 est.) forest: 60.4% (2018 est.) other: 27.2% (2018 est.)

Location

Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Map references

Oceania

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Natural hazards

occasional cyclones; active volcanism volcanism: Savai'I Island (1,858 m), which last erupted in 1911, is historically active

Natural resources

hardwood forests, fish, hydropower

Population distribution

about three-quarters of the population lives on the island of Upolu

Terrain

two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rugged mountains in interior

Administrative divisions

11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Capital

name: Apia geographic coordinates: 13 49 S, 171 46 W time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: name derives from the native village around which the capital was constructed in the 1850s; the village still exists within the larger modern capital

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Samoa dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Constitution

history: several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962 amendments: proposed as an act by the Legislative Assembly; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Assembly membership in the third reading - provided at least 90 days have elapsed since the second reading, and assent of the chief of state; passage of amendments affecting constitutional articles on customary land or constitutional amendment procedures also requires at least two-thirds majority approval in a referendum; amended several times, last in 2020

Country name

conventional long form: Independent State of Samoa conventional short form: Samoa local long form: Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa local short form: Samoa former: Western Samoa etymology: the meaning of Samoa is disputed; some modern explanations are that the "sa" connotes "sacred" and "moa" indicates "center," so the name can mean "Holy Center"; alternatively, some assertions state that it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology; the name, however, may go back to Proto-Polynesian (PPn) times (before 1000 B.C.); a plausible PPn reconstruction has the first syllable as "sa'a" meaning "tribe or people" and "moa" meaning "deep sea or ocean" to convey the meaning "people of the deep sea"

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: the US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa embassy: 5th Floor, Accident Corporation Building, Matafele Apia mailing address: 4400 Apia Place, Washington DC 20521-4400 telephone: [685] 21-436 FAX: [685] 22-030 email address and website: ApiaConsular@state.gov https://ws.usembassy.gov/

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Pa olelei LUTERU (since 7 July 2021); note - also Permanent Representative to the UN chancery: 685 Third Avenue, 44th Street, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797 email address and website: samoa@samoanymission.ws About | Samoa Permanent Mission to the United Nations consulate(s) general: Pago Pago (American Samoa)

Executive branch

chief of state: TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va aletoa Sualauvi II (since 21 July 2017) head of government: Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata afa (since 24 May 2021) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the advice of the prime minister elections/appointments: chief of state indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term (2-term limit); election last held on 23 August 2022 (next to be held in 2026); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state, approved by the Legislative Assembly election results: TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va aletoa Sualauvi II (independent) unanimously reelected by the Legislative Assembly

Flag description

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white, five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation; red stands for courage, blue represents freedom, and white signifies purity note: similar to the flag of Taiwan

Government type

parliamentary republic

Independence

1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Court of Appeal (consists of the chief justice and 2 Supreme Court judges and meets once or twice a year); Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the chief of state upon the advice of the prime minister; other Supreme Court judges appointed by the Judicial Service Commission, a 3-member body chaired by the chief justice and includes the attorney general and an appointee of the Minister of Justice; judges normally serve until retirement at age 68 subordinate courts: District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils

Legal system

mixed legal system of English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen

Legislative branch

description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (54 seats); members from single-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority vote, with a minimum 10% representation of women in the Assembly required; members serve 5-year terms) elections: election last held on 9 April 2021 (next election to be held in 2026) election results: percent of vote by party - HRPP 55%, FAST 37%, TSP 3%, independent 5%; seats by party 35 FAST, HRPP 18, independent 1; composition - men 47, women 7, percentage women 13%

National anthem

name: "O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom) lyrics/music: Sauni Liga KURESA note: adopted 1962; also known as "Samoa Tula'i" (Samoa Arise)

National holiday

Independence Day Celebration, 1 June (1962); note - 1 January 1962 is the date of independence from the New Zealand-administered UN trusteeship, but it is observed in June

National symbol(s)

Southern Cross constellation (five, five-pointed stars); national colors: red, white, blue

Political parties

Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP Tautua Samoa Party or TSP

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Background

The first Austronesian settlers arrived in Samoa around 1000 B.C., and early Samoans traded and intermarried with Fijian and Tongan nobility. The fa amatai system of titles and nobility developed, which dominates Samoan politics to this day; all but two seats in the legislature are reserved for matai, or heads of families. A Dutch explorer was the first European to spot the islands in 1722. Christian missionaries arrived in the 1830s and were followed by an influx of American and European settlers and influence. By the 1880s, Germany, the UK, and the US had trading posts and claimed parts of the kingdom. In 1886, an eight-year civil war broke out, with rival matai factions fighting over royal succession and the three foreign powers providing support to the factions. Germany, the UK, and the US all sent warships to Apia in 1889 and came close to conflict, but a cyclone damaged or destroyed the ships of all three navies. At the end of the civil war in 1894, Malietoa LAUPEPA was installed as king, but upon his death in 1898, a second civil war over succession broke out. When the war ended in 1899, the Western powers abolished the monarchy, giving the western Samoan islands to Germany and the eastern Samoan islands to the US. The UK abandoned claims in Samoa and received former German territory in the Solomon Islands. New Zealand occupied Samoa during World War I but was accused of negligence and opposed by many Samoans, particularly an organized political movement called the Mau ( Strongly Held View ) that advocated for independence. During the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, about 20% of the population died. In 1929, New Zealand police shot into a crowd of peaceful Mau protestors, killing 11, in an event known as Black Sunday. In 1962, Samoa became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish its independence as Western Samoa but dropped the Western from its name in 1997. The Human Rights Protection Party dominated politics from 1982 until Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata'afa's Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party gained a majority in elections in 2021.

Military - note

informal defense ties exist with New Zealand, which is required to consider any Samoan request for assistance under the 1962 Treaty of Friendship Samoa has a "shiprider" agreement with the US, which allows local maritime law enforcement officers to embark on US Coast Guard (USCG) and US Navy (USN) vessels, including to board and search vessels suspected of violating laws or regulations within Somoa's designated exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or on the high seas; "shiprider" agreements also enable USCG personnel and USN vessels with embarked USCG law enforcement personnel to work with host nations to protect critical regional resources (2024)

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Ministry of Police, Prisons, and Correction Services: Samoa Police Force (2024)

Age structure

0-14 years: 26.9% (male 28,952/female 27,173) 15-64 years: 65.9% (male 70,225/female 67,427) 65 years and over: 7.2% (2024 est.) (male 6,743/female 8,333)

Alcohol consumption per capita

total: 2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) beer: 2.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) spirits: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.) other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

18.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Child marriage

women married by age 15: 0.9% women married by age 18: 7.4% men married by age 18: 2% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.4% (2019/20)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

16.6% (2019/20)

Current health expenditure

5.3% of GDP (2020)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

61.7% (2023 est.)

Death rate

5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 74.9 youth dependency ratio: 66 elderly dependency ratio: 8.9 potential support ratio: 11.2 (2020 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population rural: 98% of population total: 98.4% of population unimproved: urban: 0% of population rural: 2% of population total: 1.6% of population (2020 est.)

Education expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

Samoan 96%, Samoan/New Zealander 2%, other 1.9% (2011 est.) note: data represent the population by country of citizenship

Gross reproduction rate

1.14 (2024 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 17.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.) male: 20.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.6 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Samoan (Polynesian) (official) 91.1%, Samoan/English 6.7%, English (official) 0.5%, other 0.2%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.7 years (2024 est.) male: 72.8 years female: 78.7 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.1% male: 99% female: 99.3% (2021)

Major urban areas - population

36,000 APIA (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

59 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 27.4 years (2024 est.) male: 27 years female: 27.8 years

Nationality

noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan

Net migration rate

-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

47.3% (2016)

Physician density

0.6 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

total: 208,853 male: 105,920 female: 102,933 (2024 est.)

Population distribution

about three-quarters of the population lives on the island of Upolu

Population growth rate

0.65% (2024 est.)

Religions

Protestant 54.9% (Congregationalist 29%, Methodist 12.4%, Assembly of God 6.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, other Protestant 2.3%), Roman Catholic 18.8%, Church of Jesus Christ 16.9%, Worship Centre 2.8%, other Christian 3.6%, other 2.9% (includes Baha'i, Muslim), none 0.2% (2016 est.)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 99.5% of population rural: 99.5% of population total: 99.5% of population unimproved: urban: 0.5% of population rural: 0.5% of population total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female 0-14 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

total: 25.3% (2020 est.) male: 36.1% (2020 est.) female: 14.5% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.33 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 17.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: -0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Airports

3 (2024)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

5W

Merchant marine

total: 13 (2023) by type: general cargo 3, oil tanker 1, other 9

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 4 annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 137,770 (2018)

Ports

total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 0 small: 0 very small: 1 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Apia

Roadways

total: 1,150 km (2018)