Human Development & Quality of Life in Samoa
HDI 0.708 · UNDP rank 122 · latest published data
For 2023, Samoa records HDI 0.708 and UNDP rank 122; that headline belongs to the high human development category. That rank is only the starting point. Education combines 12.4 expected years of schooling with 11.3 mean years already attained. In a different dimension, the income component uses GNI per capita of $5,952 in 2021 PPP dollars.
What sits inside Samoa's HDI
For the current profile, Samoa's 2023 HDI inputs include life expectancy of 71.7, expected schooling of 12.4, mean schooling of 11.3, and GNI per capita of $5,952 in 2021 PPP dollars. Together they explain the headline index without turning any single input into a separate ranking.
Inequality changes the headline
In Samoa's profile, IHDI shows the effect of inequality on health, education and income achievements, the page keeps this distribution measure distinct from broader quality-of-life evidence.
Gender and planetary-pressure adjustments
For this profile, Samoa has additional UNDP measures of GDI 0.955, GII 0.416. The indicators add context without becoming a single composite DigifyWorld rating.
Quality-of-life coverage is conditional
A comparable life-satisfaction observation was not available in the OECD extract used for Samoa. A missing source value is shown as unavailable.
What Samoa's numbers say together
Taken alongside HDI, Samoa's profile includes IHDI 0.609 with a 14.0% loss; GDI 0.955. These measures remain distinct because they measure different aspects of development.
At 0.708, Samoa's 2023 HDI corresponds to UNDP rank 122. The ranking reflects the HDI framework only and does not capture every aspect of lived experience. For the profile as a whole, read the value with its stated unit so the limitation remains visible to the reader.
The IHDI is 0.609, and UNDP reports an overall loss of 14.0% relative to the headline index.
The GDI value is 0.955 in group 2; it should be read alongside, not merged into, HDI.
Frequently asked questions
What is Samoa's HDI?
For Samoa, the 2025 UNDP report publishes a 2023 HDI value of 0.708 and rank 122.
How does inequality affect Samoa's HDI?
IHDI for Samoa is 0.609 in the 2023 table. That represents a 14.0% reduction from the headline development index. For the evidence on this page, preserve the distinction between level and distribution because the surrounding measures answer different questions.
Why is there no life satisfaction score on this page?
For Samoa, subjective well-being is shown only with a verified comparable observation, a missing source value is shown as unavailable.
Is HDI the same as quality of life?
No. The HDI calculation does not include every aspect of quality of life. Life satisfaction adds a different perspective and is therefore not folded into HDI.
Sources & methodology
Sources for the development indicators and definitions shown above.
View sources used for this page
Primary source for 2023 HDI and its components, plus IHDI, GDI, GII and PHDI where reported.
Report edition underlying the 2023 human-development indices and ranking.
Data note: Reference years are shown with each indicator; unavailable observations remain unfilled.