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	73.67yrs (2017)₃
GNI	$5 372 (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

UN HDI (2016)₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₁₁
1	Norway	1
2	Australia	2
3	Switzerland	2
	...
101	Tonga	101
102	Libya	102
103	Belize	103
104	Samoa	104
105	Maldives	105
106	Uzbekistan	105
107	Moldova	107
108	Botswana	108
	World Avg	94.3
q=188.

Gross National Income Per-Capita (2011)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better PPP $₁₂
1	Qatar	$129 916
2	Singapore	$78 162
3	Kuwait	$76 075
	...
128	Congo, (Brazzaville)	$5 503
129	Nigeria	$5 443
130	Tuvalu	$5 395
131	Samoa	$5 372
132	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	$5 371
133	Vietnam	$5 335
134	Tonga	$5 284
135	Palestine	$5 256
	World Avg	$17 240
q=193.

Social & Moral Development Index₁₃_,₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₃_,₁₄
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
133	Namibia	100.8
134	Botswana	101.4
135	Rwanda	101.5
136	Samoa	102.7
137	Vanuatu	103.5
138	Lesotho	104.3
139	Tanzania	104.4
140	Libya	106.5
	World Avg	86.4
q=195.

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

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

Population:

Samoa's population is predicted to rise to 200 406 by 2030. This country has a fertility rate of 3.77. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., 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, 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.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		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 (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
87	Colombia	74.23
88	Jordan	74.18
89	St Kitts & Nevis	73.98
90	Samoa	73.67
91	Dominican Rep.	73.65
92	Grenada	73.56
93	Cape Verde	73.54
94	Lithuania	73.50
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
133	Sao Tome & Principe	3.52
134	Djibouti	3.61
135	Vanuatu	3.77
136	Samoa	3.77
137	Tonga	3.81
138	Papua New Guinea	3.83
139	Guatemala	3.86
140	Togo	3.90
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₆
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₆
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:

Immigrants (2017)₁₇
Pos.		%₁₇
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.

Emigrants (2010)₁₈
Pos.		%₁₈
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 #gender #gender_equality #homosexuality #human_rights #international_law #mass_media #misogyny #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance #women

Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)₁₉_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₉_,₂₀
1	Denmark	9.7
2	Sweden	10.0
3	Norway	16.1
	...
168	Central African Rep.	129.8
169	Guinea-Bissau	132.1
170	Myanmar (Burma)	132.2
171	Samoa	134.0
172	Afghanistan	134.3
173	Angola	135.0
174	Eritrea	135.0
175	Comoros	135.4
176	Iran	136.5
	World Avg	89.8
q=199.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Denmark, Sweden and Norway₁₉. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Tuvalu, The Solomon Islands and Palestine₁₉.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice and LGBT equality. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe₁₉, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Melanesia and Australasia₁₉.

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Nominal Commitment to HR (2009)₂₁
Pos.		Higher is better Treaties₂₁
1	Argentina	24
2	Chile	23
3	Costa Rica	23
	...
162	Vietnam	10
163	Vanuatu	10
164	Iraq	9
165	Samoa	9
166	Papua New Guinea	9
167	Oman	9
168	Iran	9
169	St Kitts & Nevis	9
	World Avg	15.1
q=194.

HR Treaties Lag (2019)₂₂
Pos.		Lower is better 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
	World Avg	10.02
q=195.

Press Freedom (2013)₂₃
Pos.		Lower is better₂₃
1	Finland	638
2	Netherlands	648
3	Norway	652
	...
44	Malta	2330
45	Burkina Faso	2370
46	Taiwan	2382
47	Samoa	2384
48	Haiti	2409
49	S. Korea	2448
50	Comoros	2452
51	S. Africa	2456
	World Avg	3249
q=178.

Gender Equality:

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

See:

"Religion Versus Womankind" by Vexen Crabtree (2007)

Gender Inequality (2015)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better₂₄
1	Switzerland	0.04
2	Denmark	0.04
3	Netherlands	0.04
	...
94	Algeria	0.43
95	Botswana	0.44
96	Philippines	0.44
97	Samoa	0.44
98	Bolivia	0.45
99	Suriname	0.45
100	Panama	0.46
101	Honduras	0.46
	World Avg	0.36
q=159.

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

Prejudice:

LGBT Equality (2017)₂₅
Pos.		Higher is better Score₂₅
1	Netherlands	103
2	Belgium	90
3	Sweden	86
	...
131	Guyana	-5
132	St Lucia	-9
133	India	-10
134	Samoa	-10
135	Trinidad & Tobago	-10
136	S. Sudan	-10
137	Papua New Guinea	-10
138	Sri Lanka	-10
	World Avg	12.6
q=196.

5. Samoa's Health

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

Health (2020)₂₆_,₂₀
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₆_,₂₀
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
145	Mauritania	107.8
146	Belize	107.9
147	Tanzania	107.9
148	Samoa	108.3
149	Ukraine	108.6
150	Zambia	108.8
151	Belarus	109.4
152	Dominican Rep.	109.8
153	Benin	109.9
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₆. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₆.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are 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, Asia and Europe₂₆, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₆.

Health:

Samoa has some poor policies and cultural issues which cause some public health problems. Samoa comes in the best 20 for its smoking rate₂₇ (amongst the best in Australasia). It does better than average in its alcohol consumption rate₂₈, its adolescent birth rate₂₄ and in its average life expectancy₁₂ (amongst the highest in Australasia). Samoa does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in terms of its fertility rate₁₅ (amongst the highest in Australasia). And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance₂₉ (one of the worst in Australasia) and in its immunizations take-up₃₀ (amongst the worst in Australasia). The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% between 1976 and 2016.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
87	Colombia	74.23
88	Jordan	74.18
89	St Kitts & Nevis	73.98
90	Samoa	73.67
91	Dominican Rep.	73.65
92	Grenada	73.56
93	Cape Verde	73.54
94	Lithuania	73.50
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₈
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
49	Micronesia	2.5
50	Guatemala	2.5
51	Congo, DR	2.6
52	Uzbekistan	2.7
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₅
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₅
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
	...
133	Sao Tome & Principe	3.52
134	Djibouti	3.61
135	Vanuatu	3.77
136	Samoa	3.77
137	Tonga	3.81
138	Papua New Guinea	3.83
139	Guatemala	3.86
140	Togo	3.90
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₂₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₂₇
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
9	Vanuatu	76
8	Ethiopia	76
7	Congo, DR	74
6	Samoa	54
5	Rwanda	53
4	Uganda	41
3	Kiribati	28
2	Solomon Islands	26
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Food Aid, Health Contributions & WHO Compliance (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₁
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
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₄
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
	...
72	New Zealand	23.6
73	Ukraine	24.1
74	India	24.5
75	Samoa	25.0
76	Rwanda	26.3
77	Iran	26.7
78	Turkey	27.6
79	Kazakhstan	27.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₃₀
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₃₀
1	Hungary	99.0
2	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
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. Samoa's Modernity and Learning

#education #modernity #technology #the_internet

Modernity and Learning (2020)₃₂
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₃₂
1	Finland	8.0
2	Belgium	9.1
3	Denmark	10.0
	...
119	Tajikistan	84.5
120	Mongolia	85.4
121	Marshall Islands	86.8
122	Samoa	86.8
123	Zambia	89.0
124	Rwanda	89.1
125	Algeria	89.6
126	Guatemala	89.9
127	Senegal	90.0
	World Avg	69.0
q=180.

Modernity and Education:

Secondary Education (2018)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better₃₃
1	Luxembourg	100.0%
2	Estonia	100.0%
3	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%
	World Avg	63.0%
q=169.

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₄
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₄
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
114	Namibia	12.6
115	Benin	12.6
116	Togo	12.6
117	Samoa	12.5
118	Antigua & Barbuda	12.5
119	Azerbaijan	12.4
120	Timor-Leste (E. Timor)	12.4
121	Marshall Islands	12.4
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

Intellectual Endeavours (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users (2016)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better₃₅
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%
	World Avg	48.1%
q=201.

IPv6 Uptake (2017)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better Ratio₃₆
1	Belgium	55.4
2	Germany	41.8
3	Switzerland	35.1
	...
121	Georgia	0.0
122	Swaziland	0.0
123	Mongolia	0.0
124	Samoa	0.0
125	Albania	0.0
126	Micronesia	0.0
127	Algeria	0.0
128	Djibouti	0.0
	World Avg	3.82
q=176.

7. National Culture

Creativity and Culture (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Open Trading, Aid and Development (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

8. Peace Versus Instability

Peacekeeping and Security (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

Refugees and UN Treaties (2017)₂₉
Pos.		Lower is better Rank₂₉
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
	World Avg	82.0
q=163.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₃₇
Pos.		Higher is better %₃₇
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
17	Montenegro	32.1
18	Syria	32.1
19	UAE	31.7
20	Samoa	31.5
21	Moldova	28.2
22	Israel	25.0
23	Swaziland	24.2
24	Greece	22.9
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₃₈
Pos.		Higher is better₃₈
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
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
43	Belize	1994 Mar 30
44	Albania	1994 Apr 05
45	Malawi	1994 May 03
46	Samoa	1994 May 10
47	India	1994 May 19
48	Paraguay	1994 May 25
49	Hungary	1994 May 25
50	Brazil	1994 May 29
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#capitalism #economics #health #inequality #life_expectancy #social_development

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₃₉
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₉
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
82	Mexico	10.50
81	Tonga	10.40
80	Jamaica	10.00
79	Samoa	10.00
78	Moldova	9.60
77	Seychelles	9.60
76	Mauritius	9.40
75	Iran	9.20
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

Income Inequality (Gini Coefficient) (2017)₄₀
Pos.		Lower is better %₄₀
1	Ukraine	25.0
2	Belarus	25.4
3	Slovenia	25.4
	...
88	Maldives	38.4
89	Burundi	38.6
90	China	38.6
91	Samoa	38.7
92	Israel	38.9
93	Tuvalu	39.1
94	Ethiopia	39.1
95	Morocco	39.5
	World Avg	38.1
q=152.

11. 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 below₄₁:

Christian	96.8%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	0.1%
Folk Religion	0.1%
Jew	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)₄₂.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems