Samoa KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1970 Population: 190,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 1.9% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$3,430 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 106 Life expectancy: 73 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 18 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 6% of GDP (2012) General information The name Samoa, from Sa (‘sacred’) and Moa (‘centre’), means ‘Sacred Centre of the Universe’. Samoa (formerly Western Samoa) is an archipelago of nine islands at the centre of the south-west Pacific island groups, surrounded by (clockwise from north) Tokelau, American Samoa, Tonga, and Wallis and Futuna. The nine islands of Samoa are Apolima, Manono, Fanuatapu, Namu’a, Nuutele, Nuulua, Nuusafee, Savai’i (the largest, at 1,708 sq km including adjacent small islands) and Upolu (second largest, at 1,118 sq km including adjacent small islands). Five of the islands are uninhabited. Climate: Tropical maritime. The weather is hot and rainy in December–April and cooler, with trade winds, in May–November. Samoa is prone to hurricanes and cyclones, which sometimes cause devastation. Cyclone Val in December 1991 – the worst storm to hit the islands in more than 100 years – destroyed more than half the coconut palms. The country was again devastated in 1998. Environment: The most significant environmental issue is soil erosion. Population: 190,000 (2013); 19 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 0.7 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013, depressed over this period by emigration, mostly to New Zealand. In 2013 the birth rate was 26 per 1,000 people (39 in 1970) and life expectancy was 73 years (55 in 1970). The population is predominantly Polynesian, with small minorities of people of Chinese, European or other Pacific descent. The people live mainly in extended family groups known as aiga. These groups are headed by a leader, known as matai, who is elected for life. The population is largely concentrated in villages close to the shore. There are 131,103 Samoans living in New Zealand, more than half of whom were born there (2006 New Zealand census). Economy: Samoa is classified as a lower-middle-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in Samoa was 16 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of 18 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. There has been a consistent decline in the under-five mortality rate since 1990. Although this decline is encouraging, the under-five mortality rate is not yet in line with the country’s target of ten deaths per 1,000 live births, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the three most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were congenital anomalies (24 per cent), prematurity (20 per cent) and acute respiratory infections (11 per cent). Other contributory causes were injuries (seven per cent), intrapartum-related complications (seven per cent), neonatal sepsis (four per cent) and diarrhoea (four per cent). In 2013 Samoa had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 58 deaths per 100,000 live births (this figure was estimated at 100 by UN agencies/World Bank in 2010). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Samoa accounted for an estimated 70 per cent of all mortality in 2008. The most prevalent NCDs in Samoa are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 37 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases, cancer and diabetes contributed seven per cent, six per cent and five per cent to total mortality, respectively (2008). Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Samoa accounted for an estimated 25 per cent of all mortality in 2008. A government paper on HIV/AIDS reported a cumulative 23 HIV cases (12 of which resulted in death) in the period 1984–2013. Samoa is a non-endemic country for malaria. There has been an overall reduction in estimated incidence of and estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases 252 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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