Samoa People - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

207,501 (2023 est.)

Nationality

noun: Samoan(s)

adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups

Samoan 96%, Samoan/New Zealander 2%, other 1.9% (2011 est.)

note: data represent the population by country of citizenship

Languages

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 27.33% (male 29,259/female 27,452)

15-64 years: 65.72% (male 69,635/female 66,745)

65 years and over: 6.94% (2023 est.) (male 6,415/female 7,995)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 74.9

youth dependency ratio: 66

elderly dependency ratio: 8.9

potential support ratio: 11.2 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 25.6 years

male: 25.3 years

female: 26 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.65% (2023 est.)

Birth rate

19.03 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate

5.38 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate

-7.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

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

Urbanization

urban population: 17.5% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization: -0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

36,000 APIA (capital) (2018)

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 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Infant mortality rate

total: 17.76 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 21.29 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 75.46 years

male: 72.58 years

female: 78.48 years (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.37 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.16 (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

16.6% (2019/20)

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.)

Current health expenditure

5.3% of GDP (2020)

Physicians density

0.6 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

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.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

47.3% (2016)

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.)

Tobacco use

total: 25.3% (2020 est.)

male: 36.1% (2020 est.)

female: 14.5% (2020 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

3.4% (2019/20)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

61.7% (2023 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.)

Education expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99.1%

male: 99%

female: 99.3% (2021)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 19.7%

male: 16.7%

female: 24.5% (2021 est.)

NOTE: The information regarding Samoa on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Samoa 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Samoa 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.