year=2016&name=Samoa - Gheos Worldguide

Statistics Samoa

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Samoa in the World

Samoa - Introduction 2016

Background: New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962 when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the 'Western' from its name in 1997.

Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S 172 20 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 2,831 km²
Land: 2,821 km²
Water: 10 km²
Rank: 178
Comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 403 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

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

Elevation
Mean elevation: NA
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m: highest point: Mount Silisili 1857 m

Natural resources: hardwood forests fish hydropower

Land use
Agricultural land: 12.4%

arable land: 2.8%
permanent crops: 7.8%
permanent pasture: 1.8%

Forest: 60.4%
Other: 27.2%

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Volcanism: Savai'I Island which last erupted in 1911 is historically active

Geography
Note: occupies an almost central position within Polynesia

Samoa - People 2016

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Population: 198,926
Note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2016 est.)
Rank: 185
Growth rate: 0.59% (2016 est.)
Growth rate rank: 154
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Samoan
Adjective: Samoan

Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6% Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) 7% Europeans 0.4% (2001 census)

Languages: Samoan (Polynesian) (official) English

Religions: Protestant 57.4% (Congregationalist 31.8% Methodist 13.7% Assembly of God 8% Seventh-Day Adventist 3.9%) Roman Catholic 19.4% Mormon 15.2% Worship Centre 1.7% other Christian 5.5% other 0.7% none 0.1% unspecified 0.1% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 32.04%
15-24 years: 19.89%
25-54 years: 35.95%
55-64 years: 6.52%
65 years and over: 5.6% (2016 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 74%
Youth dependency ratio: 64.9%
Elderly dependency ratio: 9.1%
Potential support ratio: 11%

Median age
Total: 23.9 years
Male: 23.7 years
Female: 24.2 years
Rank: 163

Population growth rate: 0.59% (2016 est.)
Rank: 154

Birth rate: 20.6 births/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 78

Death rate: 5.3 deaths/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 178

Net migration rate: -9.5 migrant(s)/1000 population (2016 est.)
Rank: 214

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 19.1% of total population
Rate of urbanization: -0.24% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: APIA (capital) 37,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: soil erosion deforestation invasive species overfishing
International agreements party to: Biodiversity Climate Change Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol Desertification Hazardous Wastes Law of the Sea Ozone Layer Protection Ship Pollution Wetlands
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
0-14 years: 1.07 male/female
15-24 years: 1.05 male/female
25-54 years: 1.07 male/female
55-64 years: 1.04 male/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male/female
Total population: 1.04 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth: 23.6
Note: median age at first birth among women 25-29

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.4 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.5 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 88

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.7 years
Male: 70.8 years
Female: 76.8 years
Rank: 128

Total fertility rate: 2.77 children born/woman (2016 est.)
Rank: 64

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 28.7% (2009)

Drinking water source:

urban: 97.5% of population
rural: 99.3% of population
total: 99% of population
urban: 2.5% of population
rural: 0.7% of population
total: 1% of population (2015 est.)

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 0.45 physicians/1000 population (2008)

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access:

urban: 93.3% of population
rural: 91.1% of population
total: 91.5% of population
urban: 6.7% of population
rural: 8.9% of population
total: 8.5% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases
Note: active local transmission of Zika virus by Aedes species mosquitoes has been identified in this country ; it poses an important risk (a large number of cases possible) among US citizens if bitten by an infective mosquito; other less common ways to get Zika are through sex via blood transfusion or during pregnancy in which the pregnant woman passes Zika virus to her fetus (2016)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 41.6% (2014)
Rank: 6

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 5.1% of GDP (2008)
Rank: 48

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99%
Male: 99.1%
Female: 98.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

Samoa - Government 2016

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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
Note: the name 'Samoa' is composed of two parts 'sa' meaning sacred and 'moa' meaning center so the name can mean Holy Center; alternatively it can mean 'place of the sacred moa bird' of Polynesian mythology

Government type: parliamentary republic

Capital
Name: Apia
Geographic coordinates: 13 49 S 171 46 W
Time difference: UTC+13: +1hr begins last Sunday in September; ends first Sunday in April

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

Dependent areas

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

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

Constitution: several previous (preindependence); latest 1 January 1962; amended several times last in 2015 (2016)

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

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi
Head of government: Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Lupesoliai Sailele Malielegaoi ; Deputy Prime Minister FONOTOE Pierre Lauofo (since 2011)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief of state on the prime minister's advice
Electionsappointments: chief of state indirectly elected by the Legislative Assembly to serve a 5-year term ; election last held on 20 July 2012 (next to be held in 2017); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party usually appointed prime minister by the chief of state approved by the Legislative Assembly
Election results: TUI ATUA Tupua Tamasese Efi unanimously elected by the Legislative Assembly

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono
Elections: election last held on 4 March 2016
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - HRPP 44 Tautua Samoa 3 independents 2

Judicial branch
Highest court: Court of Appeal ; Supreme Court (consists of the chief justice and several judges)
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the head 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 appointed until retirement at age 68
Subordinate courts: District Court; Magistrates' Courts; Land and Titles Courts; village fono or village chief councils

Political parties and leaders:

Human Rights Protection Party or HRPP [Sailele Malielegaoi TUILA'EPA]
Samoa Christian Party or TCP [Tuala Tiresa MALIETOA]
Samoa Progressive Political Party or SPPP [Toalepaiali'i Toesulusulu S'iueva POSE II]
Tautua Samoa [Leatinu'u Salole LESA]

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

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Aliioaiga Feturi ELISAIA
In the us chancery: 800 Second Avenue Suite 400J New York NY 10,017
In the us telephone: [1] 599-6,196 through 6,197
In the us FAX: [1] 599-0797
In the us consulate general: Pago Pago
From the us chief of mission: the US does not have an embassy in Samoa; the US Ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Samoa
From the us embassy: Accident Corporation Building 5th Floor Matafele Apia
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 3,430 Matafele Apia
From the us telephone: [685] 21,436/21,631/21,452/22,696
From the us FAX: [685] 22,030

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

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

National anthem
Name: 'O le Fu'a o le Sa'olotoga o Samoa'
Lyrics and music: Sauni Liga KURESA
Note: adopted 1962; also known as 'Samoa Tula'i'

National heritage

Samoa - Economy 2016

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Economy overview:

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid family remittances from overseas tourism agriculture and fishing. It has a nominal GDP of $780 million. Agriculture including fishing employs roughly two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports featuring fish coconut oil nonu products and taro. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 1000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia and accounts for 65% of total exports. Industry accounts for nearly 15% of GDP while employing less than 6% of the work force. The service sector accounts for nearly three-quarters of GDP and employs approximately 50% of the labor force. Tourism is an expanding sector accounting for 25% of GDP; 132,000 tourists visited the islands in 2013.
The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. In September 2009 an earthquake and the resulting tsunami severely damaged Samoa and nearby American Samoa disrupting transportation and power generation and resulting in about 200 deaths. In December 2012 extensive flooding and wind damage from Tropical Cyclone Evan killed four people displaced over 6,000 and damaged or destroyed an estimated 1500 homes on Samoa's Upolu Island.
The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the country's financial sector encouragement of investment and continued fiscal discipline while at the same time protecting the environment. Foreign reserves are relatively healthy and inflation is low but external debt is approximately 55% of GDP. Samoa became the 155th member of the WTO in May 2012 and graduated from least developed country (LDC) status in January 2014.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:

$1 billion (2015 est.)
$983.5 million (2014 est.)
$971.8 million (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 204

Real gdp growth rate:

1.7% (2015 est.)
1.2% (2014 est.)
-1.9% (2013 est.)

Rank: 146

Real gdp per capita:

$5,200 (2015 est.)
$5,100 (2014 est.)
$5,100 (2013 est.)

Note: data are in 2015 US dollars
Rank: 165

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 10.3%
Industry: 23.9%
Services: 65.7%

Agriculture products: coconuts nonu bananas taro yams coffee cocoa

Industries: food processing building materials auto parts

Industrial production growth rate: -6.2% (2015 est.)
Rank: 190

Labor force: 49,180 (2013 est.)
Rank: 193
By occupation agriculture: 65%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $208.5 million
Expenditures: $237.8 million
Surplus or deficit: -3.5% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 131

Taxes and other revenues: 24.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 121

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: June 1 - May 31

Inflation rate consumer prices:

0.7% (2015 est.)
-0.4% (2014 est.)

Rank: 81

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate:

9.39% (31 December 2015 est.)
9.98% (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 86

Stock of narrow money:

$116.5 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$113.8 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 185

Stock of broad money:

$366 million (31 December 2014 est.)
$318.7 million (31 December 2013 est.)

Rank: 187

Stock of domestic credit:

$360.8 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$380.9 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 179

Market value of publicly traded shares: $N/A

Current account balance:

-$33 million (2015 est.)
-$62 million (2014 est.)

Rank: 59

Exports:

$24 million (2013 est.)
$27.5 million (2014 est.)

Rank: 209
Commodities: fish coconut oil and cream nonu copra taro automotive parts garments beer
Partners: American Samoa 57.1% Australia 17.2% (2015)

Imports:

$325.3 million (2013 est.)
$341.3 million (2014 est.)

Rank: 198
Commodities: machinery and equipment industrial supplies foodstuffs
Partners: Fiji 22.6% NZ 18.8% China 15.8% South Korea 7.9% Australia 6% US 5.6% Singapore 5.2% (2015)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:

$139.4 million (31 December 2015 est.)
$140.7 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 163

Debt external:

$447.2 million (31 December 2013 est.)
$450.2 million (31 December 2014 est.)

Rank: 180

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:

tala (SAT) per US dollar -
2.5609 (2015 est.)
2.3318 (2014 est.)
2.3318 (2013 est.)
2.29 (2012 est.)
2.3175 (2011 est.)

Samoa - Energy 2016

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Electricity
Access population without electricity: 10,942
Access electrification total population: 94%
Access electrification urban areas: 100%
Access electrification rural areas: 93%
Production: 100 million kWh (2014 est.)
Production rank: 199
Consumption: 100 million kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 199
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 216
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 218
Installed generating capacity: 45,000 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 194
Generation sources fossil fuels: 71.4% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 103
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 210
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 28.6% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 82
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 145

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 211
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 211
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 146
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2016 es)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 212

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products production rank: 148
Products consumption: 1700 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products consumption rank: 199
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 146
Products imports: 1688 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 194

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 149
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 212
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 209
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 82
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 es)
Proven reserves rank: 209

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 200,000 Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 200

Energy consumption per capita

Samoa - Communication 2016

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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 10,886
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 6
Fixed lines rank: 196
Mobile cellular total: 113,000
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 57
Mobile cellular rank: 190

Telephone system
General assessment: adequate
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 60 telephones per 100 persons
International: country code - 685; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (2015)

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 (2009)

Internet
Country code: .ws
Users total: 50,000
Users percent of population: 25.4%
Users rank: 198

Broadband fixed subscriptions

Samoa - Military 2016

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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

Samoa - Transportation 2016

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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 1
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 270,908
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km