Urban population in Samoa
Samoa: Urban population was 38,393 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Urban population in Samoa, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban population in Samoa is 38,393, measured in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.6% on the previous year and down 1.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban population in Samoa peaked at 40,479 in 2002 and was at its lowest, 21,252, in 1960.
That places Samoa 203rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Urban population in Samoa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 21,252 | — |
| 1961 | 21,885 | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 22,553 | +3.1% |
| 1963 | 23,238 | +3.0% |
| 1964 | 23,927 | +3.0% |
| 1965 | 24,627 | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 25,357 | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 26,078 | +2.8% |
| 1968 | 26,858 | +3.0% |
| 1969 | 27,714 | +3.2% |
| 1970 | 28,567 | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 29,322 | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 29,959 | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 30,554 | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 31,324 | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 32,276 | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 33,160 | +2.7% |
| 1977 | 33,772 | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 34,160 | +1.1% |
| 1979 | 34,516 | +1.0% |
| 1980 | 34,847 | +1.0% |
| 1981 | 35,148 | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 35,263 | +0.3% |
| 1983 | 35,057 | -0.6% |
| 1984 | 34,721 | -1.0% |
| 1985 | 34,398 | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 34,245 | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 34,388 | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 34,713 | +0.9% |
| 1989 | 35,076 | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 35,435 | +1.0% |
| 1991 | 35,758 | +0.9% |
| 1992 | 36,155 | +1.1% |
| 1993 | 36,652 | +1.4% |
| 1994 | 37,141 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 37,636 | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 38,143 | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 38,632 | +1.3% |
| 1998 | 39,074 | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 39,493 | +1.1% |
| 2000 | 39,885 | +1.0% |
| 2001 | 40,251 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 40,479 | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 40,388 | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 40,096 | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 39,705 | -1.0% |
| 2006 | 39,338 | -0.9% |
| 2007 | 39,061 | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 38,789 | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 38,503 | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 38,277 | -0.6% |
| 2011 | 38,198 | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 38,275 | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 38,437 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 38,632 | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 38,811 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 38,922 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 38,958 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 38,868 | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 38,630 | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 38,259 | -1.0% |
| 2021 | 37,555 | -1.8% |
| 2022 | 37,672 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 37,919 | +0.7% |
| 2024 | 38,160 | +0.6% |
| 2025 | 38,393 | +0.6% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 38,393 is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.10 million, 1% of the median. (59 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 38,393 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 685,900, 6% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 24,349 | 21,252 | 27,714 | 10 |
| 1970s | 31,761 | 28,567 | 34,516 | 10 |
| 1980s | 34,786 | 34,245 | 35,263 | 10 |
| 1990s | 37,412 | 35,435 | 39,493 | 10 |
| 2000s | 39,650 | 38,503 | 40,479 | 10 |
| 2010s | 38,601 | 38,198 | 38,958 | 10 |
| 2020s | 37,993 | 37,555 | 38,393 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 200 Grenada 43,016 compare
- 201 Northern Mariana Islands 40,135 compare
- 202 Gibraltar 40,126 compare
- 204 Monaco 38,341 compare
- 205 American Samoa 37,059 compare
- 206 San Marino 33,150 compare
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 urban population in Samoa?
- Urban population in Samoa was 38,393 in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 40,479 in 2002.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 21,252 in 1960.
- How does Samoa rank for urban population?
- Samoa ranks 203rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban population rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.