country profile

Samoa

East Asia & PacificLower middle income218K population

Last updated May 3, 2026

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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 to meet the challenges and opportunities of education in a rapidly changing world (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.

51.59Composite score
Global percentile
51st
Global rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Regional rank
Not ranked (microstate)
Viewing data for
Infrastructure
50.77
33rd percentileGlobal avg. 54.77
Human Capital
48.31
44th percentileGlobal avg. 47.01
Innovation
26.42
8th percentileGlobal avg. 45.21
Governance
62.42
74th percentileGlobal avg. 47.75
Access & Parity
70.00
58th percentileGlobal avg. 49.65

Country profile

Samoa trails global peers in Innovation (26, 8th 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 presents 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 (26.4), reflecting variation across dimensions.
  • Trails regional peers most clearly in Innovation.

Regional peers: East Asia & Pacific

Composite GEFRI Score

Global rankRegional rankCountryScore
21Hong Kong SAR, China78.84
32Korea, Rep.78.17
43Singapore77.81
124Australia75.95
135Japan75.88
196New Zealand73.08
NauruMicrostate61.59
Northern Mariana IslandsMicrostate61.43
487Brunei Darussalam61.13
American SamoaMicrostate61.09
498Macao SAR, China61.06
GuamMicrostate60.74
509Thailand60.74
5310Indonesia60.55
5511Fiji60.34
New CaledoniaMicrostate59.24
French PolynesiaMicrostate58.11
PalauMicrostate57.53
6712Viet Nam57.46
6913Mongolia57.00
7314Malaysia56.66
7715China55.08
8516Philippines52.64
SamoaMicrostate51.59
TuvaluFCSMicrostate49.72
TongaMicrostate48.28
KiribatiFCSMicrostate46.97
Marshall IslandsFCSMicrostate46.38
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.FCSMicrostate42.67
11017Timor-LesteFCS41.47
11118Vanuatu41.25
12219Korea, Dem. People's Rep.36.56
12720Cambodia33.92
12821MyanmarFCS33.78
13622Lao PDR31.66
13823Solomon IslandsFCS31.58
15124Papua New GuineaFCS26.21