Country profile

Samoa

East Asia & PacificLower middle income218K inhabitants

Last updated December 1, 2025

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Microstate notice: This country is classified as a microstate (population under 300,000) and is indexed but not included in GEFRI global or regional rankings.

Composite GEFRI Score

Emerging readiness

Samoa demonstrates early-stage readiness (51st percentile worldwide). Investments are generating initial gains, yet substantial gaps persist in several dimensions. Higher scores indicate a system that is better prepared to anticipate and shape the future of learning.

50.98Composite score
Global percentile
51st
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
53.22
33rd percentileGlobal avg. 56.53
Human Capital
46.88
40th percentileGlobal avg. 47.25
Innovation
22.36
6th percentileGlobal avg. 43.36
Governance
62.42
73rd percentileGlobal avg. 47.71
Access & Parity
70.00
59th percentileGlobal avg. 49.41

Country profile

Samoa trails global peers in Innovation (22, 6th percentile). A coordinated reform effort is needed to strengthen education futures readiness.

Uneven scores across dimensions highlight areas that need targeted coordination. Low internet adoption slows digital participation and constrains system-wide modernization. Limited tertiary enrollment narrows future talent pipelines and innovation capacity.

Sparse R&D investment and a small research workforce slow experimentation and delay new ideas from reaching learners. Regulatory quality falls short of global standards, signalling structural hurdles in policy execution. Girls outperform boys in secondary pathways, adding pressure to address male dropout risks.

Infrastructure and Human Capital present a near-term leapfrog opportunity: performance is just below the global average, backed by enough observed data to support forward planning. Regionally, Innovation lags peers the most, signalling where investment could have the highest impact.

Note: Several indicators use imputed values. Policymakers and planners should validate results further before committing to major initiatives.

Key insights

  • Scores range from Access & Parity (70.0) to Innovation (22.4), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Trails regional peers most clearly in Innovation.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Korea, Rep.79.60
32Singapore78.63
53Hong Kong SAR, China77.86
114Japan76.54
145Australia76.14
196New Zealand73.28
——Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.56
487Brunei Darussalam61.48
498Thailand61.30
——New CaledoniaMicrostate61.09
529Indonesia60.44
——NauruMicrostate59.95
——GuamMicrostate59.92
——PalauMicrostate59.64
——American SamoaMicrostate59.42
——French PolynesiaMicrostate59.20
5910Macao SAR, China58.71
6311Viet Nam57.39
6912Fiji56.40
7013Mongolia56.30
7114Malaysia56.21
7315China55.14
8216Philippines52.74
——TuvaluFCSMicrostate51.67
——SamoaMicrostate50.98
——TongaMicrostate49.06
——KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.78
——Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.17
10717Timor-LesteFCS44.20
——Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.51
11218Vanuatu41.00
12219Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.64
12620Cambodia35.43
12921MyanmarFCS33.80
13422Solomon IslandsFCS32.22
13823Lao PDR31.38
14524Papua New GuineaFCS28.17