Literacy rate in Samoa
Samoa: Literacy rate was 98.0% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Latest (2019)
98.0%
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
28th
of 128 countries
All-time high
99.7%
in 2017
All-time low
87.5%
in 1950
Years of data
6
1950–2019
Literacy rate in Samoa, 1950–2019
Source: UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2019, literacy rate in Samoa stood at 98.0%.
The figure is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy rate in Samoa peaked at 99.7% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 87.5%, in 1950.
Samoa ranks 28th of 128 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 87.5% | 87.5% | 87.5% | 1 |
| 1990s | 97.9% | 97.9% | 97.9% | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.0% | 98.0% | 99.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
More education data for Samoa
- Primary school starting age 5 years (2025)
- Official entrance age to pre-primary education 3 years (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 11 years (2025)
- Population ages 15-64 55.9% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 38.1% (2025)
- School enrollment, primary 101.0% (2024)
- Primary education, teachers 1,558 (2023)
- Fertility rate vs. average years of schooling 3.8 live births per woman (2024)
- School enrollment, primary, female 99.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy rate in Samoa?
- Literacy rate in Samoa was 98.0% in 2019, according to UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy rate recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.7% in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy rate recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 87.5% in 1950.
- How does Samoa rank for literacy rate?
- Samoa ranks 28th out of 128 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rate rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from UNESCO (1957) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of adults who can read and write a simple statement about their everyday life.