Samoa (Independent State of Samoa)

https://www.humantruth.info/samoa.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

Samoa Independent State of Samoa
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	136th best
Capital	Apia
Land Area	2 830km²₁
Location	Australasia, Polynesia
Groupings	Small Islands
Population	0.2m₂
Life Expectancy	72.77yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$5 308 (2017)₄
ISO3166-1 Codes	WS, WSM, 882₅
Internet Domain	.ws₆
Currency	Tala (WST)₇
Telephone	+685₈

1. Overview

“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.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₉

“Anchored at the heart of Polynesia, Samoa rises languidly from the sea, draped in jungle, dotted with flower-filled villages and surrounded by iridescent lagoons. This tiny nation´s proud history spans more than 3000 years and its people were the first Polynesians to reclaim independence following European colonisation. As such, Samoans have firmly held on to their customs.
Village life is still the norm here, and traditional governance and communal ownership carry much legal weight. The result is sweet, safe and gentle; a trip to Samoa is like sipping the world´s purest water on a warm day.
If your ideal for a South Pacific holiday involves spa treatments and jet skis, Samoa may not be for you. What Samoa excels in is affordable, unpretentious beachside accommodation, friendly people and a peace and quiet rare in this world.
It´s easy to get around, everyone speaks English and political stability is almost guaranteed.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₁₀

2. Samoa National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better Value₁₁
1	Switzerland	0.962
2	Norway	0.961
3	Iceland	0.959
	...
108	Guyana	0.714
109	S. Africa	0.713
110	Jamaica	0.709
111	Samoa	0.707
112=	Gabon	0.706
112=	Lebanon	0.706
114	Indonesia	0.705
115	Vietnam	0.703
	Australasia Avg	0.70
	World Avg	0.72
q=191.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)₁₁
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₁
1	Liechtenstein	$146 830
2	Singapore	$90 919
3	Qatar	$87 134
	...
133	Nicaragua	$5 625
134	Bangladesh	$5 472
135	Angola	$5 466
136	Samoa	$5 308
137	Honduras	$5 298
138	Ivory Coast	$5 217
139	Mauritania	$5 075
140	Djibouti	$5 025
	Australasia Avg	$12 519
	World Avg	$20 136
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₂
1	Denmark	27.0
2	Norway	29.9
3	Sweden	31.8
	...
133	Kenya	102.2
134	Kiribati	103.1
135	Lesotho	103.8
136	Samoa	106.2
137	Vanuatu	107.2
138	Rwanda	107.5
139	Uganda	108.0
140	Madagascar	108.2
	Australasia Avg	95.6
	World Avg	88.6
q=199.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. Samoa's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Samoa's population is predicted to rise to 200 406 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 3.88. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.₁₃

Population₂
Pos.		2018 Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
174	Vanuatu	0.3m
175	Barbados	0.3m
176	Sao Tome & Principe	0.2m
177	Samoa	0.2m
178	St Lucia	0.2m
179	Kiribati	0.1m
180	Micronesia	0.1m
181	Grenada	0.1m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
83	Trinidad & Tobago	73.0
84	Colombia	72.8
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
89	Oman	72.5
90	Belarus	72.4
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
172	Eritrea	3.79
173	Madagascar	3.79
174	Malawi	3.85
175	Samoa	3.88
176	Sierra Leone	3.88
177	Comoros	3.91
178=	Solomon Islands	3.93
178=	Guinea-Bissau	3.93
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio Lower is better₁₅
Pos.		2016 Per 100₁₅
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3=	Chad	04.7
	...
90	Nicaragua	13.1
91	Paraguay	13.2
92	Iran	13.4
93	Samoa	13.7
94	Algeria	14.0
95	Malaysia	14.5
96	Guyana	15.0
97	Fiji	15.3
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants₁₆
Pos.		2017 %₁₆
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
111	Micronesia	2.6%
112	Azerbaijan	2.6%
113	Kiribati	2.6%
114	Samoa	2.5%
115	Zimbabwe	2.4%
116	Swaziland	2.4%
117	Ecuador	2.4%
118	Paraguay	2.4%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants₁₇
Pos.		2010 %₁₇
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
4	Grenada	65.5%
5	St Kitts & Nevis	61.1%
6	Guyana	56.9%
7	Monaco	56.3%
8	Antigua & Barbuda	47.6%
9	Tonga	45.4%
10	Albania	45.4%
11	Barbados	41.0%
12	Suriname	39.0%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Samoa's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #freethought #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #religious_tolerance #tolerance #women

Compared to Australasia (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	New Zealand	13.3
2	Australia	16.0
3	Kiribati	70.1
	...
6	Micronesia	78.2
7	Palau	80.7
8	Nauru	82.3
9	Fiji	87.1
10	Vanuatu	98.7
11	Samoa	100.4
12	Tonga	105.5
13	Solomon Islands	108.9
14	Papua New Guinea	113.5
	Australasia Avg	79.23
q=14.

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)₁₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₈
1	Sweden	6.1
2	Denmark	8.6
3	Norway	9.0
	...
114	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	98.1
115	Vanuatu	98.7
116	Lesotho	100.4
117	Samoa	100.4
118	Azerbaijan	100.8
119	Sao Tome & Principe	101.2
120	Burkina Faso	101.3
121	Mali	101.6
	World Avg	86.55
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, N. Korea and Afghanistan₁₉.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Africa, The Middle East and Asia₁₉.

For more, see:

" Which are the Best Countries for Human Rights, Equality and Tolerance?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom Higher is better₂₀
Pos.		2025₂₀
1	Norway	92.31
2	Estonia	89.46
3	Netherlands	88.64
	...
41	Gabon	70.65
42	Macedonia	70.44
43	Dominican Rep.	69.87
44	Samoa	69.28
45	Seychelles	68.56
46	Tonga	68.39
47	Belize	68.32
48	Italy	68.01
	Australasia Avg	70.62
	World Avg	54.65
q=179.

Freedom in the World Lower is better
Pos.		2024 Score
1=	Norway	1.0
1=	Canada	1.0
1=	Cape Verde	1.0
	...
66	Croatia	2.0
67=	Panama	2.0
67=	Tonga	2.0
67=	Samoa	2.0
67=	Botswana	2.0
67=	Romania	2.0
67=	Trinidad & Tobago	2.0
67=	Monaco	2.0
	Australasia Avg	1.8
	World Avg	3.7
q=205.

Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better₂₁
Pos.		2009 Treaties₂₁
1	Argentina	24
2=	Chile	23
2=	Costa Rica	23
	...
162	Vietnam	10
163=	Vanuatu	10
164	Iraq	9
165=	Samoa	9
165=	Papua New Guinea	9
165=	Oman	9
165=	Iran	9
165=	St Kitts & Nevis	9
	Australasia Avg	8.7
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag Lower is better₂₂
Pos.		2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty₂₂
1	Ecuador	2.15
2	Uruguay	2.25
3	Tunisia	3.65
	...
176	UAE	14.81
177	Comoros	14.82
178	Fiji	14.85
179	Samoa	14.85
180	Myanmar (Burma)	14.93
181	St Kitts & Nevis	15.00
182	Singapore	15.02
183	Papua New Guinea	15.23
	Australasia Avg	14.35
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Gender Equality:

Samoa has made some steps towards ending gender inequality but much more needs to be done.

See:

Gender Inequality Lower is better₂₃
Pos.		2022₂₃
1	Denmark	0.01
2	Norway	0.01
3	Switzerland	0.02
	...
101	Honduras	0.42
102	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	0.42
103	Guyana	0.42
104	Samoa	0.42
105	Bolivia	0.42
106	Paraguay	0.43
107	Dominican Rep.	0.44
108	Algeria	0.44
	Australasia Avg	0.37
	World Avg	0.34
q=166.

Data only starts in 2019, but in absence of any other data, this is still being used as the 2010s 'average'.

Year Women Can Vote Lower is better
Pos.		Total Year
1	New Zealand	1893
2	Australia	1902
3	Finland	1906
	...
179=	Djibouti	1986
179=	Central African Rep.	1986
181	Namibia	1989
182	Samoa	1990
183	Kazakhstan	1993
184=	Moldova	1994
184=	Oman	1994
186	Qatar	2003
	Australasia Avg	1962
	World Avg	1930
q=189.

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality Higher is better₂₄
Pos.		2017 Score₂₄
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
131=	Guyana	-5
132	St Lucia	-9
133=	India	-10
133=	Samoa	-10
133=	Trinidad & Tobago	-10
133=	S. Sudan	-10
133=	Papua New Guinea	-10
133=	Sri Lanka	-10
	Australasia Avg	07.1
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

Freedom of Thought Lower is better₂₅
Pos.		2021₂₅
1=	Belgium	1.0
1=	Taiwan	1.0
1=	Netherlands	1.0
	...
151	Thailand	3.8
152=	Myanmar (Burma)	3.8
152=	Zimbabwe	3.8
152=	Samoa	3.8
152=	Sri Lanka	3.8
152=	Russia	3.8
152=	Belarus	3.8
152=	Israel	3.8
	Australasia Avg	2.6
	World Avg	3.0
q=196.

5. Samoa's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #samoa #smoking #vaccines

Compared to Australasia (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Australia	49.3
2	New Zealand	51.2
3	New Caledonia	57.9
	...
9	Tuvalu	112.1
10	Kiribati	117.2
11	Micronesia	122.8
12	Samoa	124.2
13	Vanuatu	125.3
14	Solomon Islands	125.5
15	Nauru	133.3
16	Papua New Guinea	133.4
17	Marshall Islands	157.4
	Australasia Avg	112.00
q=17.

Health (2025)₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆
1	Monaco	14.3
2	Liechtenstein	30.1
3	Isle of Man	32.1
	...
152	Djibouti	122.6
153	Micronesia	122.8
154	Guatemala	123.6
155	Samoa	124.2
156	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	124.4
157	Honduras	125.3
158	Vanuatu	125.3
159	Solomon Islands	125.5
	World Avg	96.74
q=212.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, Liechtenstein and The Isle of Man₂₇. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Angola and Nigeria₂₇.

21 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Europe and The Balkans₂₇, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Melanesia₂₇.

For more, see:

"Countries With the Healthiest Cultures and Health Policies" by Vexen Crabtree (2020).

Health:

Samoa has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Samoa comes in the best 20 in its smoking rate₂₈ (amongst the lowest in Australasia). It does better than average for its alcohol consumption rate₂₉ and in its average life expectancy₁₁ (amongst the highest in Australasia). Samoa doesn't do so well in other areas. Samoa does worse than average in its adolescent birth rate₃₀ and in its fertility rate₁₄ (one of the worst in Australasia). And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 in terms of its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₃₁ (amongst the worst in Australasia) and in its immunizations take-up₃₂ (one of the worst in Australasia). The prevalence of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the past 40 years. Life expectancy in Samoa improved by +4.5yrs in the 30 years from 1990, less than the global average of +7.9yrs. Samoa's peak fertility rate was 7.67 in 1964.

Life Expectancy Higher is better₁₁
Pos.		2021 Years₁₁
1	Monaco	85.9
2	Hong Kong	85.5
3	Japan	84.8
	...
83	Trinidad & Tobago	73.0
84	Colombia	72.8
85	Dominica	72.8
86	Samoa	72.8
87	Brazil	72.8
88	Dominican Rep.	72.6
89	Oman	72.5
90	Belarus	72.4
	Australasia Avg	70.11
	World Avg	71.28
q=195.

Alcohol Consumption Lower is better₂₉
Pos.		2016 Per Capita₂₉
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
45=	Turkey	2.0
46	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	2.1
47	Mozambique	2.4
48=	Samoa	2.5
48=	Micronesia	2.5
48=	Guatemala	2.5
51	Congo, DR	2.6
52=	Uzbekistan	2.7
	Australasia Avg	4.3
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate 2.0 is best₁₄
Pos.		2022₁₄
1	US Virgin Islands	2.00
2	Ecuador	2.00
3	Nepal	2.01
	...
172	Eritrea	3.79
173	Madagascar	3.79
174	Malawi	3.85
175	Samoa	3.88
176	Sierra Leone	3.88
177	Comoros	3.91
178=	Solomon Islands	3.93
178=	Guinea-Bissau	3.93
	Australasia Avg	2.82
	World Avg	2.47
q=208.

Smoking Rates Lower is better₂₈
Pos.		2014₂₈
1	Guinea	15
2	Solomon Islands	26
3	Kiribati	28
4	Uganda	41
5	Rwanda	53
6	Samoa	54
7	Congo, DR	74
8	Ethiopia	76
9	Vanuatu	76
10	Guyana	77
11	Suriname	79
12	Malawi	80
	Australasia Avg	372
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Sweden	1
2	Ireland	2
3	Denmark	3
	...
143	Niger	143
144	Marshall Islands	144
145	Botswana	145
146	Samoa	146
147	Jamaica	147
148	Togo	148
149	Tonga	149
150	Nigeria	150
	Australasia Avg	94.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults Lower is better₃₃
Pos.		2016 %₃₃
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
180	Qatar	71.7
181	Kuwait	73.4
182	Micronesia	75.9
183	Samoa	77.6
184	Tonga	78.5
185	Kiribati	78.7
186	Niue	80.0
187	Tuvalu	81.9
	Australasia Avg	73.3
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate Lower is better₃₀
Pos.		2022 Per 1000₃₀
1	Hong Kong	1.6
2	Denmark	1.8
3	S. Korea	2.1
	...
113	Palestine	42.9
114	Brazil	43.6
115	Egypt	43.6
116	Samoa	43.8
117	Tajikistan	44.9
118	Cambodia	45.7
119	St Vincent & Grenadines	46.5
120	Philippines	48.1
	Australasia Avg	40.2
	World Avg	43.8
q=195.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 Higher is better₃₂
Pos.		2015 Avg %₃₂
1=	Hungary	99.0
1=	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
178	Iraq	70.7
179	Afghanistan	70.6
180	Niger	69.7
181	Samoa	68.1
182	Yemen	67.4
183	Papua New Guinea	66.3
184	Haiti	65.7
185	Vanuatu	65.5
	Australasia Avg	86.4
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Samoa's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #deforestation #environmentalism #food #internationalism #meat #over-exploitation #samoa #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Australasia (2025)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₄
1	New Zealand	75.8
2	Australia	76.6
3	Fiji	89.1
4	Vanuatu	93.0
5	Tonga	96.1
6	Papua New Guinea	104.5
7	Samoa	107.0
8	Kiribati	111.4
9	Micronesia	114.6
10	Cook Islands	119.6
11	Solomon Islands	121.6
12	Marshall Islands	123.1
13	Palau	124.5
	Australasia Avg	93.28
q=16.

Responsibility Towards The Environment (2025)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₄
1	Sri Lanka	34.9
2	Uruguay	43.2
3	Switzerland	45.0
	...
163	Papua New Guinea	104.5
164	Serbia	104.8
165	Haiti	105.8
166	Samoa	107.0
167	Bahrain	107.9
168	Mongolia	108.1
169	Armenia	108.2
170	Suriname	108.5
	World Avg	84.93
q=199.

All countries' current and historical approach towards the environment is gauged via 21 datasets, including multiple decades of data on its forested percent change 2000-2020, its environmental performance, energy to GDP efficiency, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment, the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population, reducing annual meat consumption per person and its score on the Green Future Index.

The countries that do the best (Sri Lanka, Uruguay and Switzerland) tend to have avoided the excesses of early industrial countries, and have not yet repeated the same mistakes of environmental destruction - at least, not on the same scale. The regions with the best average results per country are Central America, South America and Scandinavia. The worst are Eritrea, The Vatican City and Timor-Leste (E. Timor), and the worst regions Micronesia, Australasia and Melanesia.

For more, see:

" Countries With the Best Environmental Records" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Samoa is 166th in the world when it comes to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is calculated from 4 data sets. Samoa does worse than average when it comes to its environmental performance₃₅, its sign-up rate to major international accords on protecting the environment and in its forested percent change 2000-2020₃₆. And finally, it falls into the worst-performing 20 for reducing annual meat consumption per person₃₇ (amongst the worst in Australasia).

Forest Area Change 2000-2020 Higher is better₃₆
Pos.		Total₃₆
1	Guernsey	82.6%
2	Bahrain	75.2%
3	Iceland	64.7%
	...
173	Laos	-4.8%
174	Zimbabwe	-5.1%
175	Panama	-5.2%
176	Samoa	-5.7%
177	Eritrea	-5.7%
178	Colombia	-5.8%
179	Cameroon	-5.9%
180	Venezuela	-6.0%
	Australasia Avg	0.1%
	World Avg	-0.1%
q=234.

Environmental Performance Higher is better₃₅
Pos.		2018₃₅
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
	...
99	Kyrgyzstan	54.9
100	Nigeria	54.8
101	Kazakhstan	54.6
102	Samoa	54.5
103	Suriname	54.2
104	Sao Tome & Principe	54.0
105	Paraguay	53.9
106	El Salvador	53.9
	Australasia Avg	55.2
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

International Accords on the Environment Higher is better
Pos.		Total Avg Rate
1	Sweden	83%
2	Canada	82%
3	Norway	81%
	...
132	Mali	53%
133	Burundi	53%
134	Iceland	53%
135	Samoa	52%
136	Zimbabwe	52%
137	Suriname	52%
138	St Vincent & Grenadines	52%
139	Saudi Arabia	52%
	Australasia Avg	48.2%
	World Avg	57.5%
q=197.

Samoa is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and was one of 19 countries that signed the Paris Agreement within the first few months in Q2 2016.

Meat Consumption Lower is better₃₇
Pos.		2021 kg₃₇
1	Congo, DR	03.0
2	Burundi	03.5
3	Bangladesh	04.3
	...
173	Chile	97.8
174	Brazil	98.8
175	Spain	100.3
176	Samoa	106.2
177	Israel	107.7
178	St Vincent & Grenadines	109.5
179	Australia	110.2
180	Bahamas	111.9
	Australasia Avg	74.2
	World Avg	52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, Samoa's meat consumption per person was the 5th-highest in the world, putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.₃₇

7. Samoa's Modernity and Learning

#capitalism #economics #education #health #inequality #life_expectancy #modernity #social_development #technology #the_internet

Compared to Australasia (2020)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₈
1	New Zealand	15.2
2	Australia	16.6
3	Palau	47.4
4=	Tonga	62.0
5	Fiji	71.5
6	Samoa	99.8
7	Marshall Islands	111.1
8	Vanuatu	125.6
9	Kiribati	127.3
10	Micronesia	133.6
11	Tuvalu	138.2
12	Solomon Islands	154.5
13	Papua New Guinea	158.4
	Australasia Avg	97.01
q=13.

Modernity & Learning (2020)₃₈
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₈
1	Finland	7.1
2	Belgium	12.9
3	Denmark	13.6
	...
113	Kenya	96.4
114	Botswana	96.5
115	Morocco	97.9
116	Samoa	99.8
117	Algeria	100.2
118	Tajikistan	101.3
119	Maldives	102.1
120	Paraguay	103.1
	World Avg	86.31
q=190.

The most modern countries, with the best results from education, the highest levels of research, and with the easiest access to information on the Internet, are Finland, Belgium and Denmark₃₉. The worst countries are Eritrea, S. Sudan and Sierra Leone₃₉. Despite improves in global education, access to tertiary (adult) education is becoming increasingly unequal between the rich haves and the poor have-nots₄₀.

“Education, at all levels and ages, is the single most vital support for equality as well as being a country's most vital economic and social resource. [...] Every successful aspirant to modernisation and economic development, from Japan to South Korea, China to Chile, has got there with a big emphasis on education.”
Bill Emmott (2017)₄₁

15 datasets are used to calculate points for each country, including multiple decades of data on Research and Development, Secondary Education, Length of Schooling, Intellectual Endeavours, Maths, Science & Reading, Religiosity, IQ, the percent of citizens with access to the internet, Freedom On The Internet, IT Security, IPv6 Uptake and digital quality of life. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₃₉, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Africa and Micronesia₃₉.

For more, see:

" Which Countries are Most Modern, With the Best Education and Internet Access?" by Vexen Crabtree (2025).

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education Higher is better₄₂
Pos.		2018₄₂
1=	Luxembourg	100.0%
1=	Estonia	100.0%
1=	Austria	100.0%
	...
67	Fiji	76.9%
68	S. Africa	76.5%
69	Spain	75.8%
70	Samoa	74.5%
71	Trinidad & Tobago	73.4%
72	Philippines	73.2%
73	Saudi Arabia	72.8%
74	Andorra	72.3%
	Australasia Avg	79.3%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling Higher is better₄₃
Pos.		2021 Years₄₃
1	Australia	21.1
2	New Zealand	20.3
3	Greece	20.0
	...
127	Guyana	12.5
128	Uzbekistan	12.5
129	Bangladesh	12.4
130	Samoa	12.4
131	Congo, (Brazzaville)	12.3
132	San Marino	12.3
133	Botswana	12.3
134	Angola	12.2
	Australasia Avg	13.4
	World Avg	13.5
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Ukraine	1
2	Czechia	2
3	Hungary	3
	...
61	Japan	61
62	Malta	62
63	Ghana	63
64	Samoa	64
65	Jordan	65
66	Namibia	66
67	India	67
68	Lebanon	68
	Australasia Avg	58.7
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users Higher is better₄₄
Pos.		2016₄₄
1	Iceland	100%
2	Faroe Islands	99%
3	Norway	98%
	...
132	Vanuatu	31%
133	Syria	30%
134	Sri Lanka	29%
135	Samoa	29%
136	Ghana	28%
137	Swaziland	28%
138	Guatemala	27%
139	Sudan	26%
	Australasia Avg	44.3%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake Higher is better₄₅
Pos.		2017 Ratio₄₅
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
121=	Georgia	0.0
121=	Swaziland	0.0
121=	Mongolia	0.0
121=	Samoa	0.0
121=	Albania	0.0
121=	Micronesia	0.0
121=	Algeria	0.0
121=	Djibouti	0.0
	Australasia Avg	1.55
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

National Culture:

Creativity & Culture Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Belgium	1
2	Netherlands	2
3	Estonia	3
	...
57	India	57
58	Philippines	58
59	Uruguay	59
60	Samoa	60
61	Montenegro	61
62	Ukraine	62
63	Israel	63
64	Mexico	64
	Australasia Avg	61.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid & Development Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Ireland	1
2	Denmark	2
3	Sweden	3
	...
142	Slovakia	142
143	Tanzania	143
144	St Vincent & Grenadines	144
145	Samoa	145
146	Jamaica	146
147	Syria	147
148	Iran	148
149	India	149
	Australasia Avg	91.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Peace Versus Instability:

Peacekeeping & Security Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Samoa	1
2	S. Africa	2
3	Tunisia	3
4	Egypt	4
5	Nigeria	5
6	Uruguay	6
7	Indonesia	7
8	Brunei	8
9	Moldova	9
10	Morocco	10
11	Oman	11
12	Tanzania	12
	Australasia Avg	88.1
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees & UN Treaties Lower is better₃₁
Pos.		2017 Rank₃₁
1	Austria	1
2	Germany	2
3	Netherlands	3
	...
127	Benin	127
128	Yemen	128
129	Pakistan	129
130	Samoa	130
131	Antigua & Barbuda	131
132	Azerbaijan	132
133	Togo	133
134	St Vincent & Grenadines	134
	Australasia Avg	103.6
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Economic Inequality and Poverty:

Inequality in Life Expectancy Lower is better₄₆
Pos.		2019₄₆
1	Iceland	2.40
2=	Singapore	2.50
2=	Hong Kong	2.50
	...
77	Seychelles	9.60
78=	Moldova	9.60
79	Jamaica	10.00
80=	Samoa	10.00
81	Tonga	10.40
82	Mexico	10.50
83=	St Lucia	10.60
83=	Jordan	10.60
	Australasia Avg	13.47
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) Lower is better₄₇
Pos.		2023 %₄₇
1	Slovakia	24.1%₄₈
2	Slovenia	24.3%₄₈
3	Belarus	24.4%₄₉
	...
106=	Togo	37.9%₄₈
107	Gabon	38.0%₅₀
108	Malawi	38.5%₅₁
109=	Samoa	38.7%₅₂
109=	Kenya	38.7%₄₈
111	El Salvador	38.8%₅₃
112=	Gambia	38.8%₄₉
112=	Laos	38.8%₅₄
	Australasia Avg	34.8%
	World Avg	36.5%
q=167.

Income inequality data is rarely available for Samoa - only for 3 years between 1980 and 2019.

8. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₅₅:

Christian	96.8%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jewish	0.1%
Unaffiliated	2.5%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: Protestant 59.9% (Congregationalist 34.8%, Methodist 15%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%), Roman Catholic 19.6%, Mormon 12.7%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)₅₆.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems