Samoa: International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Samoa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.2% on 2019 (from US$1.8 million to US$500,000).

Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +6.1% and a typical year strayed about 69.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 242.9% in 2018 and the biggest yearly fall was 94.9% in 1999. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 the straight-line trend is downward, about US$1.24 million a year. A straight line explains 62% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Samoa had the 119th highest value of the 123 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Samoa in the 2020 ranking

• Belize — 117th of 123: US$1.49 million
• Lesotho — 118th of 123: US$1 million
• Ethiopia — 119th of 123: US$500,000
• Eswatini — 121st of 123: US$400,000
• Gambia, The — 122nd of 123: US$200,000
• Solomon Islands — 123rd of 123: US$10,000

What this measures

International tourism expenditures for passenger transport items are expenditures of international outbound visitors in other countries for all services provided during international transportation by nonresident carriers. Also included are passenger services performed within an economy by nonresident carriers. Excluded are passenger services provided to nonresidents by resident carriers within the resident economies; these are included in travel items. In addition to the services covered by passenger fares--including fares that are a part of package tours but excluding cruise fares, which are included in travel--passenger services include such items as charges for excess baggage, vehicles, or other personal accompanying effects and expenditures for food, drink, or other items for which passengers make expenditures while on board carriers. Data are in current U.S. dollars.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a gap-filled total.

All 22 values

International tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) in nearby economies

• Australia — US$1.17 billion (2020)
• Cambodia — US$44 million (2020)
• Fiji — US$2 million (2020)
• French Polynesia — US$74 million (2016)
• Indonesia — US$327 million (2020)
• Japan — US$1.29 billion (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — US$548 million (2020)
• Lao PDR — US$9 million (2020)

More private sector & trade data for Samoa

• Merchandise imports (current US$) — US$467 million (2025)
• Merchandise exports (current US$) — US$24 million (2025)
• Merchandise imports from high-income economies (% of total merchandise imports) — 75.22% (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East Asia & Pacific (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.62% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy, residual (% of total merchandise imports) — 0% (2023)
• Merchandise imports by the reporting economy (current US$) — US$462.21 million (2023)
• Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies within region (% of total merchandise imports) — 24.62% (2023)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Samoa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$)?

US$500,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1995?

It is down 86.11% from US$3.6 million in 1995 (7.59% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was US$12.3 million in 2012 and the lowest US$400,000 in 1999.

How does Samoa rank?

119th highest of 123 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) unusual for Samoa?

In 2020, Samoa's international tourism, expenditures for passenger transport items (current US$) fell 72.2% on 2019 (from US$1.8 million to US$500,000). Across the 19 yearly changes before that (1996 to 2019), the average change was +6.1% and a typical year strayed about 69.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.1 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator ST.INT.TRNX.CD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Yearbook of Tourism Statistics, Compendium of Tourism Statistics and data files, UN Tourism Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.