An Oceanian island group about 3,200 kilometers (1,988.4 miles) northeast of New Zealand, the Independent State of Samoa shipped US$42.9 million worth of exported products around the globe in 2023.

That annual dollar amount results from a -12.9% retreat from $49.3 million 5 years earlier in 2019.

Year over year, the overall value of Samoan exports flatlined via a -1.2% slowdown compared to $43.5 million starting from 2022.

Nicknamed the Crade of Polynesia, Samoa broke away from its formal dependence on New Zealand on 1962 after over a century of foreign influence. Nevertheless, Samoa remains a member of the British Commonwealth.

The top 5 most valuable exported products from Samoa in 2023 were processed petroleum oil, whole frozen fish, coconut oil, electric circuit parts or fuses and switches, then manioc roots or Jerusalem artichokes and sweet potatoes.

Samoa’s Major Trading Partners

The latest available country-specific data shows that 97% of products exported from Samoa was bought by importers in: New Zealand (20.9% of the Samoan total), American Samoa (19.7%), Australia (13%), United States of America (12.1%), Tokelau (10.1%), Singapore (5.5%), Taiwan (5.1%), Fiji (3.7%), mainland China (2.7%), Cook Islands (1.7%), United Kingdom (1.6%) and Japan (1%).

From a continental perspective, 70% of Samoa’s exports by value was delivered to fellow Oceanian countries led by New Zealand and American Samoa.

Meanwhile 15.7% was sold to importers in Asia. Samoa shipped another 12.1% worth of goods to buyers in North America (specifically the United States of America only), with just 2.2% going to Europe.

Given Samoa’s population of 209,000 people, its total $42.9 million in 2023 exports translates to roughly $210 for every resident in the South Pacific Ocean island group. That dollar metric lags the average $270 per capita one year earlier during 2022.

Samoa’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Samoan global shipments during 2023. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Samoa.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: US$17.9 million (41.7% of total exports)
2. Fish: $7.1 million (16.6%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: $4.1 million (9.5%)
4. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $3.8 million (8.9%)
5. Vegetables: $2 million (4.6%)
6. Vegetable/fruit/nut preparations: $787,000 (1.8%)
7. Iron, steel: $762,000 (1.8%)
8. Fruits, nuts: $682,000 (1.6%)
9. Dairy, eggs, honey: $481,000 (1.1%)
10. Beverages, spirits, vinegar: $459,000 (1.1%)

Samoa’s top 10 export product categories generated 88.6% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Mineral fuels including oil was the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 47.8% from 2022 to 2023.

In second place for improving export sales were the metals iron and steel via a 41.6% advance.

Samoa’s shipments under the dairy, eggs and honey category posted the third-fastest gain in value, up by 29%.

The leading decliner among Samoa’s top 10 export categories was beverages, spirits and vinegar, pulled down by a -70.9% year-on-year drop.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, processed petroleum oils represent Samoa’s most valuable exported product at 41.6% of the country’s total. In second place was frozen whole fish (16.1%), coconut oil (8.8%), integrated electronic circuits and microassemblies (5.7%), manioc roots or Jerusalem artichokes and sweet potatoes (4.3%), insulated wire or cable (3.2%), fruit or vegetable juices (1.8%), coconuts, Brazil nuts and cashew nuts (1.4%), iron or steel scrap (1.2%), then malt beer (0.8%).

Products Generating Samoa’s Best Trade Surpluses

The following types of Samoan product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Fish: US$4.9 million (Down by -25.9% from 2022)
2. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $1.2 million (Reversing a -$387,000 deficit)
3. Oil seeds: $5,000 (Down by -66.7%)

Samoa has million-dollar net exports, notably in the international trade under the fish and the animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes product categories.

Products Causing Samoa’s Worst Trade Deficits

Samoa incurred an overall -US$430.6 million product trade deficit for 2023, expanding by 6.7% from -$403.6 million in red ink one year earlier for 2022.

Below are exports from Samoa that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Samoa’s goods trail Samoan importer spending on foreign products.

1. Mineral fuels including oil: -US$90.6 million (Up by 13.8% from 2022)
2. Meat: -$34.2 million (Down by -3.8%)
3. Vehicles: -$31.3 million (Up by 45.4%)
4. Machinery including computers: -$23.6 million (Up by 20.3%)
5. Dairy, eggs, honey: -$17.9 million (Up by 34.9%)
6. Cereal/milk preparations: -$15.9 million (Up by 3.8%)
7. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$13.3 million (Down by -4.5%)
8. Wood: -$11.8 million (Down by -2.6%)
9. Plastics, plastic articles: -$11.7 million (Up by 15.7%)
10. Articles of iron or steel: -$11.5 million (Up by 32%)

Samoa has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits particularly for refined petroleum oils and, to a lesser degree, petroleum gas under the mineral fuels-related category.

Samoan Export Companies

Not one Samoan corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.

The registered companies listing maintained by Samoa’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour records exports-related companies from Samoa. Selected examples are shown below.

• APIA Export Fisheries Ltd (fishing, aquaculture)
• CJ Exports & Imports Ltd (furniture)
• Health Seafood Export Limited (fishing, aquaculture)
• Maiden Agricultural Trade & Export (food product manufacturer)
• Samoa Export Co Ltd (agriculture, fishing)
• Sea & Lagoon Export Ltd (fishing, aquaculture)

 
In macroeconomic terms, Samoa’s total exported goods represent 3.3% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2023 ($1.317 billion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 3.3% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2023 compares to 4.7% for 2022. Those percentages suggest a relatively decreasing reliance on products sold on international markets for Samoa’s total economic performance, albeit based on a relatively short timeframe.

Another key economic indicator is a country’s unemployment rate. Samoa’s unemployment rate averaged 10.31% in 2023, up from the average 8.87% jobless rate for 2022.

Samoa’s capital city is Apia.

See also Australia’s Top 10 Exports, New Zealand’s Top 10 Exports and Top Oceanian Export Countries

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Australia-Oceania: Samoa. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on October 15, 2024

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on October 15, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Samoa’s Ministry of Commerce, Industry & Labour, Samoa Company Registry. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Wikipedia, Flag of Samoa. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on October 15, 2024

Wikipedia, Samoa. Accessed on October 15, 2024