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.

Source: CIA World Fact Book

Population: 214,265 note: prior estimates used official net migration data by sex, but a highly unusual pattern for 1993 lead to a significant imbalance in the sex ratios (more men and fewer women) and a seeming reduction in the female population; the revised total was calculated using a 1993 number that was an average of the 1992 and 1994 migration figures (July 2007 est.)

---

Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 41,551/female 40,085) 15-64 years: 56.3% (male 63,320/female 57,277) 65 years and over: 5.6% (male 5,416/female 6,616) (2007 est.)

---

Median age: total: 20.4 years male: 20.7 years female: 20.2 years (2007 est.)

---

Population growth rate: 1.291% (2007 est.)

---

Birth rate: 28.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Death rate: 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Net migration rate: -9.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)

---

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.037 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.106 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.819 male(s)/female total population: 1.061 male(s)/female (2007 est.)

---

Infant mortality rate: total: 25.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 30.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)

---

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.3 years male: 68.49 years female: 74.26 years (2007 est.)

---

Total fertility rate: 4.21 children born/woman (2007 est.)

---

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA

---

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

---

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

---

Nationality: noun: Samoan(s) adjective: Samoan

---

Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%

---

Religions: Congregationalist 34.8%, Roman Catholic 19.6%, Methodist 15%, Latter-Day Saints 12.7%, Assembly of God 6.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3.5%, Worship Centre 1.3%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.9%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

---

Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English

---

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99.7% male: 99.6% female: 99.7% (2003 est.)

The economy of Samoa has traditionally been dependent on development aid, family remittances from overseas, agriculture, and fishing. The country is vulnerable to devastating storms. Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force and furnishes 90% of exports, featuring coconut cream, coconut oil, and copra. The fish catch declined during the El Nino of 2002-03 but returned to normal by mid-2005. The manufacturing sector mainly processes agricultural products. One factory in the Foreign Trade Zone employs 3,000 people to make automobile electrical harnesses for an assembly plant in Australia. Tourism is an expanding sector, accounting for 25% of GDP; about 100,000 tourists visited the islands in 2005. The Samoan Government has called for deregulation of the financial sector, encouragement of investment, and continued fiscal discipline, while at the same time protecting the environment. Observers point to the flexibility of the labor market as a basic strength for future economic advances. Foreign reserves are in a relatively healthy state, the external debt is stable, and inflation is low.

---

GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.218 billion (2006 est.)

---

GDP (official exchange rate): $399 million (2005)

---

GDP - real growth rate: 5.5% (2005 est.)

---

GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,100 (2005 est.)

---

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.4% industry: 58.4% services: 30.2% (2004 est.)

---

Labor force: 90,000 (2000 est.)

---

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

---

Unemployment rate: NA%

---

Population below poverty line: NA%

---

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

---

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (2005)

---

Budget: revenues: $171.3 million expenditures: $78.1 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (FY04/05 est.)

---

Agriculture - products: coconuts, bananas, taro, yams, coffee, cocoa

---

Industries: food processing, building materials, auto parts

---

Industrial production growth rate: 2.8% (2000)

---

Electricity - production: 108 million kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - consumption: 100.5 million kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004)

---

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004)

---

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

---

Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

---

Oil - exports: NA bbl/day

---

Oil - imports: NA bbl/day

---

Oil - proved reserves: 0 bbl

---

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

---

Natural gas - consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.)

---

Current account balance: -$2.428 million (FY03/04)

---

Exports: $94 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

---

Exports - commodities: fish, coconut oil and cream, copra, taro, automotive parts, garments, beer

---

Exports - partners: Australia 42.8%, American Samoa 29.1%, US 3.3% (2006)

---

Imports: $285 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

---

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, industrial supplies, foodstuffs

---

Imports - partners: NZ 21.3%, Fiji 14.6%, Singapore 13.1%, Australia 8.6%, Japan 8.5%, US 6.2%, Indonesia 5%, China 4.4% (2006)

---

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $70.15 million (FY03/04)

---

Debt - external: $177 million (2004)

---

Economic aid - recipient: $30.8 million (2004)

---

Currency (code): tala (SAT)

---

Exchange rates: tala per US dollar - 2.7594 (2006), 2.7103 (2005), 2.7807 (2004), 2.9732 (2003), 3.3763 (2002)

---

Fiscal year: June 1 - May 31