weighted score 3.8 · ten dimensions
Sourcing Attractiveness Index · ten dimensions
Samoa
Labour cost, supply base depth, logistics infrastructure, trade access, and innovation scores for Samoa as a sourcing destination.
Labour cost competitiveness
5
Moderate wage levels for the Pacific region. Labour costs are not a primary attraction — the economy is service and agriculture-based rather than manufacturing-oriented.
Supply base depth
2
No manufacturing supply base. Exports limited to agricultural products, fish, and some light processing. No industrial ecosystem.
Logistics & infrastructure
3
Remote Pacific island location. International airport and port at Apia functional but small. Shipping connections infrequent. Geographic isolation adds significant freight cost.
Workforce skills
4
Relatively well-educated population for the Pacific region. English and Samoan bilingual. Tourism and service sector skills. Very small workforce (~220,000 total population).
Scalability
6
Tourism has some scalability. Agricultural exports limited by land and climate. Remittance economy provides stability. Scale fundamentally constrained by tiny population and remote geography.
Ease of doing business
5
Stable democratic governance. Rule of law functional. Customary land tenure limits foreign land ownership. Regulatory environment transparent but capacity-constrained for a small island state.
Trade access & tariffs
4
PACER Plus with Australia/NZ. EU preferences available. But extremely limited export base and remote geography constrain practical trade volumes.
Sustainability baseline
5
Strong climate awareness — Samoa is a vocal advocate for climate action in international forums. Renewable energy targets ambitious. Environmental governance developing. Small ecological footprint.
Innovation & IP
1
No R&D infrastructure. No patent activity. Innovation ecosystem absent. Some technology transfer via development partner programmes.
Quality standards
3
Agricultural exports meet basic quality requirements. Tourism sector operates to international hospitality standards. No industrial quality certification infrastructure.
Key Economic Sectors
Key Economic Sectors
- Tourism
- Tourism is a major economic contributor. Samoa attracts visitors primarily from New Zealand, Australia, and the US. Beach tourism, cultural experiences, and eco-tourism are the main segments. Climate change and cyclone risk threaten tourism infrastructure.
- Agriculture
- Coconut products (copra, coconut cream, virgin coconut oil), taro, and nonu (noni) juice are the main agricultural exports. Production is smallholder-based. Cyclone damage can devastate tree crops for years.
- Remittances
- Remittances from the Samoan diaspora (primarily New Zealand and Australia) represent a larger share of GDP than goods exports. This creates economic resilience but also dependency on host country economic conditions.
Trade Access & Business Environment
Trade Access & Business Environment
- PACER Plus
- PACER Plus with Australia and New Zealand provides the primary trade framework. Preferential access to both markets for qualifying exports.
- Governance
- Stable parliamentary democracy with peaceful 2021 power transfer. Rule of law functional. Customary land tenure (most land is communally held under matai system) limits foreign land ownership but is well-understood.
- Scale constraint
- Population of approximately 220,000. Extremely small domestic market and labour force. Geographic isolation in the South Pacific adds significant freight cost to any export-oriented activity.