2023 Edition

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. Dutch explorer Jacob ROGGEVEEN was the first European to spot the islands in 1722. Christian missionaries arrived in the 1830s, converting most of the population. In the 1850s, Apia became a center for Pacific trading and hosted an American commercial agent and British and German consuls. In 1892, American traders convinced the Samoan king to align his country’s date with the US, moving to the east of the International Date Line.Following the death of the Samoan king in 1841, rival families competed for his titles, devolving into civil war in 1886 with factions getting support from either Germany, the UK, or the US. All three countries sent warships to Apia in 1889, presaging a larger war, but a cyclone destroyed the ships and Malietoa LAUPEPA was installed as king. Upon LAUPEPA’s death in 1898, a second civil war over succession broke out. The war ended in 1899 and 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.The Mau, a non-violent popular movement to advocate for Samoan independence, formed in 1908. New Zealand annexed Samoa in 1914 after the outbreak of World War I. Opposition to New Zealand’s rule quickly grew. In 1918, a New Zealand ship introduced the Spanish flu, infecting 90% of the population and killing more than 20%. In 1929, New Zealand police shot into a crowd of peaceful 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 current Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata'afa's Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST party gained a majority in elections in 2021.In the late 2000s, Samoa began making efforts to align more closely with Australia and New Zealand. In 2009, Samoa changed its driving orientation to the left side of the road, in line with other Commonwealth countries. In 2011, Samoa jumped forward one day - skipping December 30 - by moving to the west side of the International Date Line so that it was one hour ahead of New Zealand and three hours ahead of the east coast of Australia, rather than 23 and 21 hours behind, respectively.

Area

land

2,821 sq km

total

2,831 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.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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

contiguous zone

24 nm

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

occasional cyclones; active volcanismvolcanism: 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

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)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

2.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

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

Child marriage

men married by age 18

2% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15

0.9%

women married by age 18

7.4%

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 (2023 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

8.9

potential support ratio

11.2 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

74.9

youth dependency ratio

66

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 98% of population

improved: total

total: 98.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 2% of population

unimproved: total

total: 1.6% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2020 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

note

note: data represent the population by country of citizenship

Gross reproduction rate

1.16 (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

14.1 deaths/1,000 live births

male

21.3 deaths/1,000 live births

total

17.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

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

female

78.5 years

male

72.6 years

total population

75.5 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

99.3% (2021)

male

99%

total population

99.1%

Major urban areas - population

36,000 APIA (capital) (2018)

Maternal mortality ratio

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

Median age

female

27.3 years

male

26.5 years

total

26.9 years (2023 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Samoan

noun

Samoan(s)

Net migration rate

-7.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

47.3% (2016)

Physicians density

0.6 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

207,501 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

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

Population growth rate

0.65% (2023 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: rural

rural: 99.5% of population

improved: total

total: 99.5% of population

improved: urban

urban: 99.5% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: 0.5% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0.5% of population

Sex ratio

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

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.03 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Tobacco use

female

14.5% (2020 est.)

male

36.1% (2020 est.)

total

25.3% (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.37 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

17.5% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

24.5%

male

16.7%

total

19.7% (2021 est.)

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

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

geographic coordinates

13 49 S, 171 46 W

name

Apia

time difference

UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

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

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

history

several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962

Country name

conventional long form

Independent State of Samoa

conventional short form

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"

former

Western Samoa

local long form

Malo Sa'oloto Tuto'atasi o Samoa

local short form

Samoa

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

the US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa

email address and website

ApiaConsular@state.govhttps://ws.usembassy.gov/

embassy

5th Floor, Accident Corporation Building, Matafele Apia

FAX

[685] 22-030

mailing address

4400 Apia Place, Washington DC 20521-4400

telephone

[685] 21-436

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

685 Third Avenue, 44th Street, 11th Floor, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10017

chief of mission

Ambassador Pa’olelei LUTERU (since 7 July 2021)

consulate(s) general

Pago Pago (American Samoa)

email address and website

samoa@samoanymission.wshttps://www.un.int/samoa/samoa/embassy-independent-state-samoa-united-states-america

FAX

[1] (212) 599-0797

telephone

[1] (212) 599-6196

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the advice of the prime minister

chief of state

TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi II (since 21 July 2017)

election results

TUIMALEALI'IFANO Va’aletoa Sualauvi II (independent) unanimously reelected by the Legislative Assembly

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 2027); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state, approved by the Legislative Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister FIAME Naomi Mata’afa (since 24 May 2021)

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

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 (53 seats for 2021-2026 term); members from 51 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)

election results

percent of vote by party - HRPP 55%, FAST 37%, TSP 3%, independents 5%; seats by party – FAST 30, HRPP 22, independents 1; composition - men 47, women 6, percent of women 11.3% note: on 29 November 2021, the Election Commissioner added two women seats to parliament, bringing the HRPP’s total from 20 to 22 seats

elections

election last held on 9 April 2021 (next election to be held in 2026)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Sauni Liga KURESA

name

"O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa" (The Banner of Freedom)

note

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 and leaders

Fa'atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi or FAST [FIAME Naomi Mata'afa]Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi]Tautua Samoa Party or TSP [Afualo Wood Uti SALELE]

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Agricultural products

coconuts, taro, bananas, yams, tropical fruit, pineapples, mangoes/guavas, papayas, roots/tubers, pork

Budget

expenditures

$263 million (2020 est.)

revenues

$313 million (2020 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.7% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2019

$34.073 million (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

-$79.68 million (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

-$118.081 million (2021 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 December 2013

$447.2 million (31 December 2013 est.)

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

Currency

tala (SAT) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

2.554 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

2.587 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

2.649 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

2.665 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2.556 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$336.782 million (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$116.519 million (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$97.774 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

coconut oil, insulated wiring, refined petroleum, integrated circuits, sardines, air pumps, tuna, lemons, beer (2021)

Exports - partners

US 20%, New Zealand 16%, American Samoa 11%, Brazil 8%, Australia 7% (2021)

Fiscal year

June 1 - May 31

GDP - composition, by end use

exports of goods and services

27.2% (2015 est.)

government consumption

NA

household consumption

NA

imports of goods and services

-50.5% (2015 est.)

investment in fixed capital

NA

investment in inventories

NA

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

10.4% (2017 est.)

industry

23.6% (2017 est.)

services

66% (2017 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$841 million (2017 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2013

38.7 (2013 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

Imports 2019

$456.707 million (2019 est.)

Imports 2020

$376.791 million (2020 est.)

Imports 2021

$430.011 million (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

refined petroleum, poultry meats, iron, lumber, processed fish, cars (2021)

Imports - partners

New Zealand 24%, China 19%, Singapore 11%, US 8%, Australia 7% (2021)

Industrial production growth rate

-9.65% (2021 est.)

Industries

food processing, building materials, auto parts

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

0.98% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

-1.57% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

3.13% (2021 est.)

Labor force

58,400 (2021 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

65%

industry

6%

services

29% (2015 est.)

Population below poverty line

20.3% (2013 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

52.6% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

49.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$1.345 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$1.303 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$1.211 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

4.45% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-3.11% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

-7.08% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$6,300 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$6,100 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$5,500 (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019

$177.244 million (31 December 2019 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020

$277.056 million (31 December 2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021

$294.682 million (31 December 2021 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

24.42% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate

note

NA

Unemployment rate 2019

8.41% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate 2020

9.15% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

9.84% (2021 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

24.5%

male

16.7%

total

19.7% (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

355,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

355,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

120.13 million kWh (2019 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

50,000 kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

15 million kWh (2019 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - rural areas

97.9% (2021)

electrification - total population

98.3% (2021)

electrification - urban areas

100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

72.7% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

27.2% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0.1% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

27.111 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

2,500 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

0 bbl/day (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,363 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

1 (2020 est.)

total

1,692 (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

percent of population

78% (2021 est.)

total

171,600 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line is 3 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity  32 telephones per 100 persons (2021)

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)

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

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

2 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

4,567 (2022 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

60 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

134,320 (2022 est.)

Airports

4 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

1

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Airports - with unpaved runways

3

note

note: unpaved runways have a surface composition such as grass or packed earth and are most suited to the operation of light aircraft; unpaved runways are usually short, often less than 1,000 m (3,280 ft.) in length; airports with unpaved runways often lack facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

5W

Merchant marine

by type

general cargo 3, oil tanker 5, other 7

total

15 (2022)

National air transport system

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

137,770 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

4

number of registered air carriers

1 (2020)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Apia

Roadways

total

1,150 km (2018)

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 (2023)

Military and security forces

no regular military forces; Samoa Police Force (Ministry of Police, Prisons, and Correction Services) (2023)

Disputes - international

none identified

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

0.25 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions

0.27 megatons (2020 est.)

particulate matter emissions

7.78 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 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.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

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

rate of urbanization

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

urban population

17.5% of total population (2023)

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.)