Literacy in Samoa
Samoa: Literacy was 97.99 in 2019. ▬ Flat
Latest (2019)
97.99
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
16th
of 89 countries
All-time high
99.71
in 2017
All-time low
97.94
in 1991
Years of data
5
1991–2019
Literacy in Samoa, 1991–2019
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for literacy in Samoa is 97.99, measured in 2019.
That represents a change of down 1.7% on the previous year and down 1.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, literacy in Samoa peaked at 99.71 in 2017 and was at its lowest, 97.94, in 1991.
Samoa ranks 16th of 89 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Literacy in Samoa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 97.94 | — |
| 2011 | 98.97 | +1.1% |
| 2016 | 99.4 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 99.71 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 97.99 | -1.7% |
Samoa compared with similar countries
- Samoa's 97.99 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 95.55, 1.0× the median. (33 countries reporting)
- Samoa's 97.99 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 96.06, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 97.94 | 97.94 | 97.94 | 1 |
| 2010s | 99.02 | 97.99 | 99.71 | 4 |
Countries ranked near Samoa
- 13 Montenegro 98.53 compare
- 14 Philippines 98.47 compare
- 15 Maldives 98.21 compare
- 17 Palestine 97.94 compare
- 18 Saudi Arabia 97.93 compare
- 19 Bahrain 97.82 compare
More education data for Samoa
- Gender gap education levels, gaps filled 96.98 (2024)
- Primary enrollment selected countries, gaps filled 98.19 (2024)
- Teachers in secondary education, both sexes (number), gaps filled 1,211 (2010)
- Repeaters in primary education, all grades, both sexes (number), gaps 397 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, male (number), gaps filled 2,580 (2024)
- Enrolment in pre-primary education, female (number), gaps filled 2,585 (2024)
- Secondary education, pupils, gaps filled 25,964 (2016)
- Primary education, duration (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Primary education, pupils, gaps filled 34,962 (2024)
- Primary education, pupils, annual growth rate -0.1171 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is literacy in Samoa?
- Literacy in Samoa was 97.99 in 2019, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest literacy recorded in Samoa?
- The highest recorded value was 99.71 in 2017.
- What is the lowest literacy recorded in Samoa?
- The lowest recorded value was 97.94 in 1991.
- How does Samoa rank for literacy?
- Samoa ranks 16th out of 89 countries with data for 2019.
- Is literacy rising or falling in Samoa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 1.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this Samoa data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Literacy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).