Population growth in Samoa
Samoa: Population growth was 0.6% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Samoa, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population growth in Samoa is 0.6%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 5.7% on the previous year and down 32.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Samoa peaked at 2.6% in 1962 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1985.
Samoa ranks 130th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Samoa, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.6% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +0.5% |
| 1963 | 2.6% | -0.5% |
| 1964 | 2.5% | -3.7% |
| 1965 | 2.4% | -3.9% |
| 1966 | 2.4% | -2.0% |
| 1967 | 2.0% | -15.0% |
| 1968 | 1.7% | -17.7% |
| 1969 | 1.6% | -3.5% |
| 1970 | 1.6% | -3.6% |
| 1971 | 1.5% | -4.4% |
| 1972 | 1.4% | -4.6% |
| 1973 | 1.4% | -4.1% |
| 1974 | 2.0% | +44.9% |
| 1975 | 2.6% | +31.2% |
| 1976 | 2.4% | -6.1% |
| 1977 | 1.7% | -31.4% |
| 1978 | 1.0% | -39.4% |
| 1979 | 0.9% | -8.0% |
| 1980 | 0.9% | -5.3% |
| 1981 | 0.8% | -6.6% |
| 1982 | 0.5% | -40.9% |
| 1983 | 0.1% | -71.6% |
| 1984 | 0.0% | -64.4% |
| 1985 | 0.0% | -35.4% |
| 1986 | 0.1% | +299.7% |
| 1987 | 0.4% | +182.3% |
| 1988 | 0.4% | +13.7% |
| 1989 | 0.3% | -38.6% |
| 1990 | 0.2% | -35.2% |
| 1991 | 0.2% | +18.8% |
| 1992 | 0.6% | +194.3% |
| 1993 | 0.8% | +48.8% |
| 1994 | 0.8% | -4.8% |
| 1995 | 0.8% | +1.1% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 1998 | 0.8% | -8.7% |
| 1999 | 0.8% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | +2.1% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +4.2% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -12.6% |
| 2003 | 0.5% | -27.0% |
| 2004 | 0.4% | -15.0% |
| 2005 | 0.4% | -11.4% |
| 2006 | 0.4% | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | +42.1% |
| 2008 | 0.7% | +28.9% |
| 2009 | 0.7% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 0.8% | +6.6% |
| 2011 | 0.9% | +11.0% |
| 2012 | 0.9% | +4.7% |
| 2013 | 0.9% | -1.7% |
| 2014 | 0.9% | -0.9% |
| 2015 | 0.9% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 0.8% | -2.4% |
| 2017 | 0.9% | +10.6% |
| 2018 | 1.0% | +12.0% |
| 2019 | 1.1% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 1.0% | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 0.9% | -16.0% |
| 2022 | 0.7% | -19.9% |
| 2023 | 0.6% | -6.0% |
| 2024 | 0.6% | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 0.6% | -5.7% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 0.6% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.3× the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 0.6% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%, 92% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Samoa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +299.7% | 0.0% | 0.1% |
| 1992 | +194.3% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| 1987 | +182.3% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| 1983 | -71.6% | 0.5% | 0.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.3% | 1.6% | 2.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.6% | 0.9% | 2.6% | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4% | 0.0% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.7% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.4% | 0.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.9% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.7% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More climate change data for Samoa
- Nutrient nitrogen N (total) — Synthetic fertilizers (Agricultural) 18,792 kg (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) 319.45 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 61.35 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 258.11 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 0.2315 kt (2050)
- Emissions from livestock — Emissions 9.22 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) 0.106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O 0.106 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 0 kt (2050)
- Emissions from crops — Emissions 0.0004 kt (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Samoa?
- Population growth in Samoa was 0.6% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 2.6% in 1962.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1985.
- How does Samoa rank for population growth?
- Samoa ranks 130th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 32.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.