Samoa: Net ODA received (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2023, Samoa's net ODA received (% of GNI) fell 3.4 percentage points on 2022 (from 14.74% to 11.34%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.67 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.14 percentage points in 1987 and the biggest yearly fall was 11.02 percentage points in 1988. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2014 to 2023 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 2% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

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

How it compares

In 2023, Samoa had the 21st highest value of the 130 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 2023 ranking

• Malawi — 17th of 130: 13.14%
• Vanuatu — 18th of 130: 11.58%
• São Tomé and Principe — 19th of 130: 11.51%
• Timor-Leste — 21st of 130: 11.33%
• Comoros — 22nd of 130: 11.29%
• Palau — 23rd of 130: 10.37%

What this measures

Net official development assistance (ODA) consists of disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. It includes loans with a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent).

Limitations: Data on ODA is for aid-receiving countries. The data cover loans and grants from DAC member countries, multilateral organizations, and non-DAC donors. They do not reflect aid given by recipient countries to other developing countries. As a result, some countries that are net donors are shown as aid recipients. The indicator does not distinguish types of aid (program, project, or food aid; emergency assistance; or post-conflict peacekeeping assistance), which may have different effects on the economy. Ratio of aid to gross national income (GNI) provides measures of recipient country's dependency on aid. But care must be taken in drawing policy conclusions.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 54 values

Net ODA received (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Cambodia — 3.82% (2023)
• China — -0.00147% (2023)
• Fiji — 3.68% (2023)
• Indonesia — 0.09% (2023)
• Kiribati — 20.56% (2023)
• Lao PDR — 3.51% (2023)
• Malaysia — 0.0017% (2023)
• Marshall Islands — 39.77% (2023)
• Micronesia, Fed. Sts. — 25.09% (2023)
• Mongolia — 1.44% (2023)
• Myanmar — 1.75% (2023)
• Naoero

More economic policy & debt data for Samoa

• Grants, excluding technical cooperation (BoP, current US$) — US$114.41 million (2023)
• Technical cooperation grants (BoP, current US$) — US$14.69 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (current US$) — US$117.17 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance and official aid received (constant 2023 US$) — US$117.17 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (current US$) — US$117.17 million (2023)
• Net official development assistance received (constant 2023 US$) — US$117.17 million (2023)
• Net ODA received per capita (current US$) — US$540.81 (2023)
• Total reserves, including gold (current US$) — US$598.34 million (2025)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Samoa's net ODA received (% of GNI)?

11.34% in 2023, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1970?

It is up 9.39 percentage points from 1.95% in 1970. The highest value was 28.53% in 1987 and the lowest 1.89% in 1971.

How does Samoa rank?

21st highest of 130 economies with data for 2023.

Is the latest change in net ODA received (% of GNI) unusual for Samoa?

In 2023, Samoa's net ODA received (% of GNI) fell 3.4 percentage points on 2022 (from 14.74% to 11.34%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2022), the average change was −0.4 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 3.67 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.8 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.ODA.ODAT.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline; Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/ids… 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.

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