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PEOPLE OF SAMOA
Name of the People: noun: Samoan(s); adjective: Samoan.
Ethnic Groups: Samoan 96 percent, Samoan/New Zealander 2 percent, other 1.9 percent (2011 estimate). Data represent the population by country of citizenship. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian) (official) 91.1 percent, Samoan/English 6.7 percent, English (official) 0.5 percent, other 0.2 percent, unspecified 1.6 percent (2006 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Religions: Protestant 54.9 percent (Congregationalist 29 percent, Methodist 12.4 percent, Assembly of God 6.8 percent, Seventh Day Adventist 4.4 percent, other Protestant 2.3 percent), Roman Catholic 18.8 percent, Church of Jesus Christ 16.9 percent, Worship Centre 2.8 percent, other Christian 3.6 percent, other 2.9 percent (includes Baha'i, Muslim), none 0.2 percent (2016 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population of Samoa
Population: 207,501 (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 184. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Growth: 0.65 percent (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 131; Birth rate: 19.03 births/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 73; Death rate: 5.38 deaths per 1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 186; Net migration rate: -7.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 217. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Population Distribution: about three-quarters of the population lives on the island of Upolu. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Demography of Samoa
Age Structure: 0-14 years: 27.33 percent (male 29,259/female 27,452); 15-64 years: 65.72 percent (male 69,635/female 66,745); 65 years and over: 6.94 percent (2023 estimate) (male 6,415/female 7,995). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Dependency Ratios: total dependency ratio: 74.9; youth dependency ratio: 66; elderly dependency ratio: 8.9; potential support ratio: 11.2 (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Median Age: total: 25.6 years; male: 25.3 years; female: 26 years (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 159. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Urbanization: urban population: 17.5 percent of total population (2023); rate of urbanization: -0.03 percent annual rate of change (2020-25 estimate); Major Urban Areas (population): 36,000 APIA (capital) (2018)
Fertility, Birth Control, Marriage and Sex
Total Fertility Rate: 2.37 children born per woman (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 75; Gross reproduction rate: 1.16 (2023 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Contraceptive Use: 16.6 percent (2019/20). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
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: 0.8 male(s)/female; total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2023 estimate)
Married Women (ages 15-49): 61.7 percent (2023 estimate)
Child Marriage: women married by age 15: 0.9 percent; women married by age 18: 7.4 percent; men married by age 18: 2 percent (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Health of the People of Samoa
Life Expectancy at Birth: total population: 75.46 years; male: 72.58 years; female: 78.48 years (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: population 126. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Infant Mortality Rate: total: 17.76 deaths per 1,000 live births; male: 21.29 deaths per 1,000 live births; female: 14.06 deaths per 1,000 live births (2023 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 90. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Maternal Mortality Ratio: 59 deaths per 100,000 live births (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 93. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Obesity (prevalence rate among adults): 47.3 percent (2016); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 8. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Alcohol Consumption Per Capita: total: 2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); beer: 2.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); wine: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); spirits: 0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); other alcohols: 0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 127. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Percentage of Population That Uses Tobacco: total: 25.3 percent (2020 estimate); male: 36.1 percent (2020 estimate); female: 14.5 percent (2020 estimate); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 49. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Children Under the Age of Five Years That Are Underweight 3.4 percent (2019/20); ranking compared to other countries in the world: 91. [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Drinking Water Source: improved: urban: 100 percent of population; rural: 98 percent of population; total: 98.4 percent of population; unimproved: urban: 0 percent of population; rural: 2 percent of population; total: 1.6 percent of population (2020 estimate). [Source: CIA World Factbook 2023]
Image Sources:
Text Sources: CIA World Factbook, 2023; “Encyclopedia of World Cultures, Volume 2: Oceania,” edited by Terence E. Hays, 1991, Wikipedia, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Times of London, Lonely Planet Guides, Library of Congress, The Guardian, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, The New Yorker, Reuters, Associated Press, AFP, BBC, CNN, and various books, websites and other publications.
Last updated August 2023