Samoa: Quick Facts

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

Nov. 12, 2026

News •

The Latest: Senators investigate whether Health Secretary RFK Jr. lied to Congress about Samoa trip • Nov. 12, 2026, 6:30 PM ET (AP)

Senators probe RFK Jr.'s Samoa trip testimony after AP and Guardian showed documents that refute it • Nov. 12, 2026, 5:13 PM ET (AP)

Facts

Also Known As	Independent State of Western Samoa • Malo Sa’aloto Tuto’atasi o Samoa I Sisifo • Western Samoa
Head Of Government	Prime Minister: Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt
Capital	Apia
Population	(2026 est.) 214,900
Head Of State	O le Ao o le Malo (Head of State): Vaaletoa Sualauvi II
Form Of Government	mix of parliamentary democracy and Samoan customs with one legislative house (Legislative Assembly [51¹])
Official Languages	Samoan²
Official Religion	none
Official Name	Malo Sa’oloto Tuto’atasi o Samoa (Independent State of Samoa)
Total Area (Sq Km)	2,830
Total Area (Sq Mi)	1,093
Monetary Unit	tala (SAT)
Population Rank	(2026) 189
Population Projection 2030	207,000
Density: Persons Per Sq Mi	(2026) 196.6
Density: Persons Per Sq Km	(2026) 75.9
Urban-Rural Population	Urban: (2022) 17.3% • Rural: (2022) 82.7%
Life Expectancy At Birth	Male: (2021) 74 years • Female: (2021) 77 years
Gni (U.S.$ ’000,000)	(2024) 1,099
Gni Per Capita (U.S.$)	(2024) 5,040
¹Forty-seven seats are reserved for ethnic Samoans; women must constitute at least 10 percent of the assembly.²Samoan became the official language per the Samoan Language Commission Act 2014, though all legislative activity is to be conducted in both Samoan and English per constitution.

Photos and Videos

Map of the South Pacific region highlighting Samoa in orange at the center. Surrounding countries and territories, including American Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, French Polynesia, and others, are labeled with international boundaries and major cities. Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia are shown on the map's edges for geographic context.

Map showing the islands of Samoa to the west and American Samoa to the east in the central Pacific Ocean, separated by a red boundary line. Major towns such as Apia in Samoa and Pago Pago in American Samoa are labeled, with a small locator map in the bottom right corner indicating their location in the Pacific region.

Population-density map of Pacific island countries and territories, with darker shading indicating more people per square kilometer. Naoero is the most densely populated, while many larger island groups, including Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia, have lower densities.

Map of the Pacific Islands region showing political boundaries, major island groups, and countries such as Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Samoa, French Polynesia, and Kiribati. The map uses color shading to indicate elevation and ocean depth, with key islands and capitals labeled throughout the central and southwestern Pacific Ocean.

Discover the lifeways of the people of Manono Island, Samoa

Visit the lava fields and see the ruins on the island of Savai‘i, Samoa

See a Sunday service at a Christian church in Samoa

Visit a traditional fale (open-sided house) on the island of Savai‘i, Samoa

Learn about the traditional practice of Samoan tattooing at the Cultural Village in Apia, Samoa

See All Videos, Images and Interactives →

Topics

Tom Udall Pacific Ocean Polynesian culture nation-state Commonwealth Apia Pacific Islands Forum Oceania member states of the Commonwealth Samoa Galapagos Islands Spratly Islands Aleutian Islands Pacific Islands Kuril Islands Moluccas Ryukyu Islands Mariana Islands Marquesas Islands Chatham Islands

Tom Udall

Tom Udall

United States senator

Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead

American anthropologist

Map of the Pacific Ocean showing depth contours in varying shades of blue, major submarine features such as trenches, ridges, and basins labeled throughout the ocean, and neighboring landmasses including Asia, Australia, North and South America. Principal cities along the Pacific rim and island groups are marked, along with international boundaries.

Pacific Ocean

body of water

moai statue, Easter Island

Polynesian culture

cultural region, Pacific Ocean

Vailima, a large two-story colonial-style house with red roofs and white railings, stands behind a wide lawn; former home of Robert Louis Stevenson in Apia, Samoa.

Apia

national capital, Samoa

Political map of Australia and Oceania showing Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and numerous Pacific island nations and territories. Countries and territories such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Kiribati are labeled, along with territories administered by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and New Zealand. Surrounding bodies of water, including the Pacific Ocean, Coral Sea, and Tasman Sea, are also marked.

Oceania

region, Pacific Ocean

Samoa

Samoa

archipelago, Pacific Ocean

Map of the central and south Pacific highlighting the island of Savai'i in Samoa. Surrounding countries and territories such as Fiji, Tonga, American Samoa, French Polynesia, and New Caledonia are labeled, with Savai'i marked in orange within the Samoa group.

Savai‘i

island, Samoa

Upolu

Upolu

island, Samoa

Island, New Caledonia.

Islands and Archipelagos