Samoa Country Overview
Where is Samoa located? The island nation of Samoa is also called Western Samoa. It has been independent from New Zealand since 1962, but politically the eastern part of the island state belongs to the USA. The time zone map places Samoa in a time zone called “West Samoa Time” which has a time offset of 11 hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-11). In the summer months (end of September to beginning of March), the clock is also advanced by one hour, which then reduces the difference to -10 hours.
Bordering Countries of Samoa
According to abbreviationfinder, Samoa is a small island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean, east of the Solomon Islands and north of Tonga. It is composed of two main islands, Savai’i and Upolu, as well as several smaller islands. To the west of Samoa lies American Samoa, a United States territory. The two Samoas share a common culture and language but are separate countries with distinct governments. American Samoa is an unincorporated United States territory made up of five volcanic islands and two coral atolls. The islands are geographically part of the Samoan Islands chain and are surrounded by the waters of the South Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Basin. The capital city is Pago Pago, located on Tutuila Island in the Manu’a group, which also includes Ofu Island, Olosega Island, Ta’ū Island, Rose Atoll, Swains Island and Aunu’u Island. The main economic activities in American Samoa revolve around tuna fishing and canning – with tuna being its primary export product – followed by tourism.
To the southeast of Samoa lies Tonga – an archipelagic state comprising 176 islands in Polynesia with a population of around 108 thousand people across its four main inhabited islands: Tongatapu (the capital), Vava’u, Ha’apai and ‘Eua. With a total land area of 748 square kilometers (289 square miles), it is one of the smallest countries in Oceania yet still boasts some spectacular sights such as its lush rainforests filled with exotic wildlife and colorful coral reefs teeming with vibrant marine life that make it an ideal destination for snorkelers or scuba divers alike. Its economy relies mainly on agriculture and fishing along with some light manufacturing industries such as textiles and handicrafts for export earnings, while tourism has also become increasingly important over recent years due to its stunning natural beauty.
Population Distribution
As of 2023, the latest population of Samoa is 203,774, based on our calculation of the current data from UN (United Nations).
| Total population | 203,774 |
| Population growth rate | 0.61% |
| Birth rate | 20.40 births per 1,000 people |
| Life expectancy | |
| Overall life expectancy | 72.94 years |
| Men life expectancy | 70.06 years |
| Women life expectancy | 75.97 years |
| Age structure | |
| 0-14 years | 30.67% |
| 15-64 years | 63.49% |
| 65 years and above | 5.85% |
| Median age | 23.50 years |
| Gender ratio (Male to Female) | 1.05 |
| Population density | 71.98 residents per km² |
| Urbanization | 22.30% |
| Ethnicities | |
| approx. 90% Samoans (Polynesians), 9% Euronesians; Chinese minority | |
| Religions | |
| Congregationalists 34.8% Catholics (Roman Catholic) 19.6% Methodists 15% Latter-day Saints 12.7% Assembly of God Members of other Christian denominations 4.5% Worship Center 1.3% Other 1.7% Not specified 0, 1% [2001 census] | |
| Human Development Index (HDI) | 0.707 |
| HDI ranking | 111th out of 194 |
People in Samoa
The native population are Samoans. This includes 92 out of 100 people who live in Samoa. You belong to the Polynesians. There are also people of European descent. There are also many people here who have German ancestors, because Samoa was once a German colony.
Typical for Samoa is the cohesion of families and life in village communities (see Everyday Life: Typical Samoa). A leader is chosen for each village who is also responsible for the problems of the village.
The largest city in the country and also the capital is Apia and is located in the north of the island of Upolu. Most of the population lives on this island. Most of the people settle on the narrow, fertile coastline in the north and west of the island.
In the meantime, however, many Samoan residents are leaving their islands in order to find better living conditions and, above all, work in New Zealand or Australia. More than 150,000 Samoans now live abroad and the number continues to rise.
Languages in Samoa
The main speakers in Samoa are Samoan and English.
Religions in Samoa
With the appearance of the Europeans, many residents of the islands turned – more or less voluntarily – to the Christian faith. So today 99 out of 100 residents are baptized Christian. However, there are different churches to which the people are divided.