27 Dec 2011

Samoa population growing at a rate of three percent

3:57 pm on 27 December 2011

A preliminary census puts Samoa's population at 186,340, an increase of 5,599 from the 2006 census - a growth rate of about three per cent.

The figures show a number of interesting features.

In the Apia urban area of Vaimauga the population fell by about 2,000 while the Faleata i Sisifo district grew by a similar amount.

On Savaii, Saleaula experienced a huge spurt in its population, growing from 579 in 2006 to 924 this year, but other towns on the island showed only modest changes to their numbers.

The statistics office's acting CEO, Malaefono Taua, says the New Zealand immigration quota, which allows in just over a thousand people each year, also has a major impact on the population figures.