American Samoa | Geography, People and Society

American Samoa - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of American Samoa. Occupies an almost central position within Polynesia. Mother's mean age at first birth is (), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 59 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of American Samoa

Area
Location	Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates	13 35 S, 172 20 W
Map references	Oceania
Tarrain	two main islands (Savaii, Upolu) and several smaller islands and uninhabited islets; narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rugged mountains in interior
Natural Resources	hardwood forests, fish, hydropower
Natural Hazards	occasional cyclones; active volcanism volcanism: Savai'I Island (1,858 m), which last erupted in 1911, is historically active
Irrigated Land	0 sq km (2022)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries	0 km
Border Countries
Coastline	403 km
Climate	tropical; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October)
Total Area
Land Area	2,821 sq km
Water Area	10 sq km
comparative Area	slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea	12 nm
Contiguous zone	24 nm
Exclusive economic zone	200 nm
Elevations
Highest point	Mount Silisili 1,857 m
Lowest point	Pacific Ocean 0 m
Land Use
Agricultural land	12.4% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land	arable land: 2.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops	permanent crops: 7.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture	permanent pasture: 1.8% (2018 est.)
Forest	60.4% (2018 est.)
Other	27.2% (2018 est.)

Population Distribution

About three-quarters of the population lives on the island of Upolu

People and Society

In American Samoa, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Samoan 96%, Samoan/New Zealander 2%, other 1.9% (2011 est.)

Age Structure
Population
Pop growth rate	0.65% (2024 est.)
Birth rate	18.8 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate	5.4 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure	5.3% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density
Total fertility rate	2.33 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate	1.14 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate	16.6% (2019/20)
Est married women (ages 15-49)	61.7% (2023 est.)
Literacy	age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures	4.8% of GDP (2020 est.)
Net Migration rate	-6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality	Samoan \| Samoan(s)
Languages	Samoan (Polynesian) (official) 91.1%, Samoan/English 6.7%, English (official) 0.5%, other 0.2%, unspecified 1.6% (2006 est.)
Religions	Protestant 54.9% (Congregationalist 29%, Methodist 12.4%, Assembly of God 6.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4.4%, other Protestant 2.3%), Roman Catholic 18.8%, Church of Jesus Christ 16.9%, Worship Centre 2.8%, other Christian 3.6%, other 2.9% (includes Baha'i, Muslim), none 0.2% (2016 est.)
0-14 years	26.9% (male 28,952/female 27,173)
15-64 years	65.9% (male 70,225/female 67,427)
65 years and over	7.2% (2024 est.) (male 6,743/female 8,333)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio	74.9
Youth dependency ratio	66
Elderly dependency ratio	8.9
Potential support ratio	11.2 (2020 est.)
Median Age
Total	27.4 years (2024 est.)
Male	27 years
Female	27.8 years
Urbanization
Urban population	17.5% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization	-0.03% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop)	36,000 APIA (capital) (2018).
Sex Ratio
At birth	1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years	1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years	1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over	0.81 male(s)/female
Total population	1.03 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total	17.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male	20.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female	13.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population	75.7 years (2024 est.)
Male	72.8 years
Female	78.7 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban	urban: 100% of population
Improved: rural	rural: 98% of population
Improved: total	total: 98.4% of population
Unimproved: urban	urban: 0% of population
Unimproved: rural	rural: 2% of population
Unimproved: total	total: 1.6% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban	urban: 99.5% of population
Improved: rural	rural: 99.5% of population
Improved: total	total: 99.5% of population
Unimproved: urban	urban: 0.5% of population
Unimproved: rural	rural: 0.5% of population
Unimproved: total	total: 0.5% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total	2.18 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer	2.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine	0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits	0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols	0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total	25.3% (2020 est.)
Male	36.1% (2020 est.)
Female	14.5% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15	0.9%
Women married by age 18	7.4%
Men married by age 18	2% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile

All Important Facts about American Samoa

Want to know more about American Samoa? Check all different factbooks for American Samoa below.

American Samoa is found in Polynesia