East Asia & Pacific · Upper middle income

Samoa: the economy in numbers

Per person: $5,873, or $9,319 at purchasing power parity. Population: 219,306 (2025).

$1.29B+4.2%real GDP growth, 2025

GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #193 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +0.4%.

GDP per capita

$5,873

2025 · #126 of 204

GDP per capita, PPP

$9,319

2025 · #141 of 197

Inflation

1.4%

2026 · IMF forecast 2027: 5.7%

Government debt

18.6%

2026 · % of GDP, general government

Population

219K

2025 · #182 of 217

Unemployment

5.0%

2025 · ILO estimate

Life expectancy

71.8 years

2024

GDP

Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $375 million in 1970, $1.29 billion in 2025.

Current US dollars; “In 2025 dollars” removes US inflationSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

GDP per capita

In 2025 dollars: $2,672 per person in 1970, $5,873 in 2025.

GDP per capitaGDP per capita, PPP (international $)

PPP: purchasing power parity, international dollarsSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Real GDP growth

Average over 2016–2025: 3.0% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1971: 16 of 55.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2026Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Inflation

Consumer prices rose 2.6 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 33.0% in 1980.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2027Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Government debt, % of GDP

Highest since 1998: 59.4% of GDP in 1999. IMF forecast for 2031: 24.2%.

Shaded: IMF forecasts from 2027Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)

Population

1960: 112,490 · 2025: 219,306.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Unemployment rate

1991: 2.1% · 2025: 5.0%.

% of the labor force, ILO modeled estimatesSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Life expectancy at birth

1960: 55.2 years · 2024: 71.8 years.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Exports of goods and services

2002: 34.2% · 2025: 27.6%.

% of GDPSource: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)

Data by year

Show the year-by-year table

Year	GDP	GDP per capita	Per capita, PPP	Real growth	Inflation	Gov. debt, % GDP	Population	Unemployment	Life expectancy	Exports, % GDP
2031				2.5%^f	3.0%^f	24.2%^f
2030				2.5%^f	3.0%^f	23.5%^f
2029				2.5%^f	3.0%^f	22.2%^f
2028				2.2%^f	3.8%^f	20.6%^f
2027				1.7%^f	5.7%^f	19.3%^f
2026				0.4%^f	1.4%	18.6%
2025	$1.29B	$5,873	$9,319	4.2%	2.2%	21.2%	219K	5.0%		27.6%
2024	$1.18B	$5,393	$8,751	4.7%	2.2%	25.3%	218K	4.9%	71.8	30.7%
2023	$1.04B	$4,823	$8,203	15.2%	7.9%	31.8%	217K	4.9%	71.7	26.2%
2022	$890M	$4,132	$6,909	2.3%	11.0%	41.0%	215K	5.0%	71.5	11.5%
2021	$860M	$4,022	$6,351	−5.0%	3.1%	45.4%	214K	6.7%	71.1	11.5%
2020	$869M	$4,100	$6,452	−3.1%	−1.6%	43.2%	212K	7.5%	70.7	29.2%
2019	$913M	$4,352	$6,638	4.5%	1.0%	44.3%	210K	7.9%	70.3	35.0%
2018	$878M	$4,232	$6,318	−0.6%	4.2%	49.4%	208K	8.6%	71.1	32.0%
2017	$885M	$4,308	$6,280	1.4%	1.7%	46.7%	205K	9.4%	71.0	29.7%
2016	$844M	$4,147	$6,141	8.0%	1.3%	49.0%	203K	9.1%	71.0	28.8%
2015	$824M	$4,084	$5,682	3.9%	0.7%	56.4%	202K	8.9%	71.1	27.1%
2014	$797M	$3,983	$5,468	0.7%	−0.4%	54.9%	200K	8.7%	71.1	27.6%
2013	$798M	$4,024	$5,387	0.1%	0.6%	54.1%	198K	8.8%	71.2	28.1%
2012	$773M	$3,935	$5,339	−3.7%	2.0%	50.9%	196K	8.8%	71.2	26.2%
2011	$744M	$3,822	$5,494	3.8%	5.2%	41.5%	195K	5.7%	71.4	28.4%
2010	$680M	$3,524	$5,229	6.1%	0.8%	40.3%	193K	5.6%	71.5	27.7%
2009	$628M	$3,279	$4,906	−0.5%	6.3%	33.3%	192K	5.6%	69.5	28.0%
2008	$641M	$3,374	$4,939	3.6%	11.6%	28.2%	190K	5.5%	71.5	27.9%
2007	$574M	$3,039	$4,713	0.5%	5.6%	31.5%	189K	5.4%	71.6	29.2%
2006	$500M	$2,663	$4,592	2.1%	3.7%	33.5%	188K	5.3%	71.6	29.6%
2005	$477M	$2,550	$4,379	6.6%	1.9%	34.2%	187K	5.2%	71.5	28.5%
2004	$408M	$2,189	$3,997	3.1%	16.3%	39.8%	186K	5.2%	71.5	29.1%
2003	$333M	$1,798	$3,792	5.2%	0.1%	42.8%	185K	5.0%	71.4	31.1%
2002	$282M	$1,528	$3,553	5.7%	8.1%	50.3%	184K	5.0%	71.2	34.2%
2001	$266M	$1,454	$3,335	7.4%	3.8%	53.8%	183K	5.0%	71.0
2000	$259M	$1,425	$3,062	5.1%	1.0%	55.8%	182K	4.7%	70.8
1999	$255M	$1,417	$2,871	2.2%	0.3%	59.4%	180K	4.5%	70.6
1998	$269M	$1,506	$2,792	2.2%	2.2%	58.9%	179K	4.1%	70.3
1997	$285M	$1,608	$2,722	0.6%	6.9%		178K	3.8%	70.0
1996	$250M	$1,419	$2,681	7.2%	5.4%		176K	3.5%	69.8
1995	$225M	$1,288	$2,478	6.7%	−2.9%		175K	3.2%	69.5
1994	$221M	$1,277	$2,294	−2.5%	12.1%		173K	3.0%	69.2
1993	$133M	$775	$2,323	4.1%	1.7%		172K	2.7%	68.8
1992	$132M	$777	$2,198	−0.2%	9.0%		170K	2.4%	68.5
1991	$126M	$742	$2,166	−2.3%	−1.8%		169K	2.1%	68.0
1990	$126M	$744	$2,148	−4.4%	15.2%		169K		67.8
1989	$123M	$728		3.7%	6.5%		169K		67.6
1988	$133M	$790		−1.4%	8.5%		168K		67.3
1987	$112M	$666		0.5%	4.6%		168K		67.0
1986	$101M	$604		5.5%	5.7%		167K		66.8
1985	$95.6M	$573		3.9%	9.1%		167K		66.6
1984	$109M	$655		1.3%	11.9%		167K		66.3
1983	$112M	$671		0.4%	16.5%		167K		66.0
1982	$121M	$728		−1.0%	18.3%		166K		65.6
1981	$118M	$713		−9.0%	20.5%		166K		65.3
1980	$126M	$765		−6.2%	33.0%		164K		65.0
1979	$122M	$751		10.9%	11.1%		163K		64.5
1978	$108M	$671		6.2%	2.1%		161K		64.1
1977	$98.3M	$615		−0.8%	14.6%		160K		63.7
1976	$85M	$541		9.3%	4.9%		157K		63.3
1975	$93.5M	$610		−3.8%	8.8%		153K		62.8
1974	$93.5M	$626		−10.7%	25.0%		149K		62.3
1973	$82.5M	$563		7.3%	11.8%		147K		61.9
1972	$62.6M	$433		1.6%	7.5%		145K		61.4
1971	$53.7M	$377		13.5%	4.8%		143K		60.9
1970	$45.2M	$322			2.7%		140K		60.4
1969					4.1%		138K		59.9
1968					1.7%		136K		59.4
1967					−0.5%		134K		58.9
1966					2.9%		131K		58.2
1965					2.1%		128K		57.9
1964					5.3%		125K		54.0
1963					0.7%		122K		56.9
1962					2.7%		119K		56.3
1961							115K		55.7
1960							112K		55.2

e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Inflation: IMF data for 2026, World Bank for the other years.

Nearby economies in East Asia & Pacific

Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.

American Samoa

$18,017 per person (2022)

Tonga

$6,547 per person (2025)

Tuvalu

$6,041 per person (2025)

Fiji

$6,642 per person (2025)

Vanuatu

$4,039 per person (2025)

Kiribati

$2,559 per person (2025)

French Polynesia

$22,440 per person (2024)

New Caledonia

$29,213 per person (2024)

American Samoa · Australia · Brunei · Cambodia · China · Fiji · French Polynesia · Guam · Hong Kong · Indonesia · Japan · Kiribati · Laos · Macao · Malaysia · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nauru · New Caledonia · New Zealand · North Korea · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Philippines · Samoa · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Korea · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu · Vietnam

Rankings

GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country

Data and methods

GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Fiscal year: the IMF reports this economy by fiscal year (latest actual: FY2024/25), so IMF numbers can differ from calendar-year World Bank figures.

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)