Share of population living in urban areas in American Samoa

American Samoa: Share of population living in urban areas was 78.7% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
78.7%
World rank
87th
of 236 countries
All-time high
82.7%
in 2000
All-time low
56.1%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in American Samoa, 1950–2020

0204060801950198520201950: 56.1 %1955: 57.4 %1960: 57.5 %1965: 60.7 %1970: 63.9 %1975: 65.6 %1980: 68.1 %1985: 72.9 %1990: 77.7 %1995: 82.1 %2000: 82.7 %2005: 82.3 %2010: 80.9 %2015: 80.9 %2020: 78.7 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

American Samoa recorded 78.7% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020.

That represents a change of down 2.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in American Samoa peaked at 82.7% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 56.1%, in 1950.

That places American Samoa 87th out of 236 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 56.7% 56.1% 57.4% 2
1960s 59.1% 57.5% 60.7% 2
1970s 64.8% 63.9% 65.6% 2
1980s 70.5% 68.1% 72.9% 2
1990s 79.9% 77.7% 82.1% 2
2000s 82.5% 82.3% 82.7% 2
2010s 80.9% 80.9% 80.9% 2
2020s 78.7% 78.7% 78.7% 1

Countries ranked near American Samoa

  1. 84 Azerbaijan 78.9% compare
  2. 85 Russia 78.8% compare
  3. 86 Seychelles 78.7% compare
  4. 88 Spain 78.6% compare
  5. 89 South Africa 78.6% compare
  6. 90 Belgium 78.4% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for American Samoa

All data for American Samoa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in American Samoa?
Share of population living in urban areas in American Samoa was 78.7% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in American Samoa?
The highest recorded value was 82.7% in 2000.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in American Samoa?
The lowest recorded value was 56.1% in 1950.
How does American Samoa rank for share of population living in urban areas?
American Samoa ranks 87th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in American Samoa?
Over the last ten years it is down 2.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this American Samoa data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.