Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Samoa

Samoa: Do more people live in urban or rural areas? was 17.5% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
17.5%
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
233rd
of 238 countries
All-time high
22.0%
in 2001
All-time low
0.0%
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025

Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Samoa, 1000–2025

05101520100015122025

Source: HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Samoa recorded 17.5% for do more people live in urban or rural areas? in 2025.

The figure is down 9.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Samoa peaked at 22.0% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1000.

Samoa ranks 233rd of 238 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1100s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1200s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1300s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1400s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1500s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1600s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1700s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1710s 0.3% 0.3% 0.3% 1
1720s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1730s 0.4% 0.4% 0.4% 1
1740s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 1
1750s 0.6% 0.6% 0.6% 1
1760s 0.7% 0.7% 0.7% 1
1770s 0.8% 0.8% 0.8% 1
1780s 0.9% 0.9% 0.9% 1
1790s 1.1% 1.1% 1.1% 1
1800s 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 1
1810s 1.5% 1.5% 1.5% 1
1820s 1.7% 1.7% 1.7% 1
1830s 2.0% 2.0% 2.0% 1
1840s 2.4% 2.4% 2.4% 1
1850s 2.8% 2.8% 2.8% 1
1860s 3.2% 3.2% 3.2% 1
1870s 3.8% 3.8% 3.8% 1
1880s 4.4% 4.4% 4.4% 1
1890s 5.1% 5.1% 5.1% 1
1900s 6.0% 6.0% 6.0% 1
1910s 7.0% 7.0% 7.0% 1
1920s 8.1% 8.1% 8.1% 1
1930s 9.5% 9.5% 9.5% 1
1940s 11.0% 11.0% 11.0% 1
1950s 16.8% 12.7% 18.8% 10
1960s 19.3% 18.9% 20.0% 10
1970s 20.9% 20.3% 21.2% 10
1980s 20.8% 20.5% 21.2% 10
1990s 21.5% 21.0% 21.9% 10
2000s 21.3% 20.1% 22.0% 10
2010s 19.2% 18.4% 19.8% 10
2020s 17.6% 17.5% 18.1% 6

Countries ranked near Samoa

  1. 230 Sri Lanka 20.5% compare
  2. 231 Niger 18.4% compare
  3. 232 Malawi 17.6% compare
  4. 234 Papua New Guinea 15.8% compare
  5. 236 Montserrat 9.0% compare

See the full ranking of 239 places →

More reference data data for Samoa

All data for Samoa →

Frequently asked questions

What is do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Samoa?
Do more people live in urban or rural areas? in Samoa was 17.5% in 2025, according to HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Samoa?
The highest recorded value was 22.0% in 2001.
What is the lowest do more people live in urban or rural areas? recorded in Samoa?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1000.
How does Samoa rank for do more people live in urban or rural areas??
Samoa ranks 233rd out of 238 countries with data for 2025.
Is do more people live in urban or rural areas? rising or falling in Samoa?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Samoa data come from?
The figures come from HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Do more people live in urban or rural areas?. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Do more people live in urban or rural areas?
Unit
%
Source
HYDE (2023); United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
239 places, 24,444 data points, 1000–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the population living in urban areas, combining UN estimates with modelled historical data.