French Polynesia vs Samoa
French Polynesia is 47% larger than Samoa.
French PolynesiaSamoaFrench Polynesia moved onto Samoa · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
1.47×
French Polynesia is 1.47× the area of Samoa.
 French Polynesia |  Samoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaFrench Polynesia: 1.47× the area | 4,167 km² | 2,842 km²#167 of 194 |
| Coastline | Coast, no land border | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 0 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationFrench Polynesia: 1.29× the population | 282,4652025 | 219,306#176 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensitySamoa: 1.14× the density | 68 / km² | 77 / km²#108 of 194 |
| Urban populationFrench Polynesia: 3.53× the urban share | 62%2025 | 18%#190 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateSamoa: 2.55× the births per woman | 1.49 per woman2024 | 3.80 per woman#31 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthSamoa: 0.36 points higher | +0.23%2025 | +0.59%#121 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateSamoa: 2.34× the birth rate | 10.7 per 1,0002024 | 25.0 per 1,000#51 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateSamoa: 1.63× the death rate | 3.8 per 1,0002024 | 6.2 per 1,000#129 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Samoa: 19.6 points higher | 18.5%2025 | 38.1%#32 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65French Polynesia: 5.8 points higher | 11.9%2025 | 6.1%#112 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationFrench Polynesia: 8.6 per 1,000 higher | −4.2 per 1,0002025 | −12.8 per 1,000#188 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroad | 0.00 per 1,0002025 | 0.08 per 1,000#122 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyFrench Polynesia: 12.4 years longer | 84.2 years2024 | 71.8 years#117 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 12.3 per 1,000 births#97 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 0.56 per 1,000#122 of 178 · 2021 |
| University enrolment | — | 16.0%#119 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.708#121 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaFrench Polynesia: 4.27× the income per person | $24,1002024 | $5,640#108 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPFrench Polynesia: 4.91× the economy | $6.32B2024 | $1.29B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $9,319#129 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthSamoa: 3.1 points higher | +1.1%2024 | +4.2%#65 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +2.2%#113 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentFrench Polynesia: 2.34× the unemployment | 11.7%2025 | 5.0%#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in agricultureSamoa: 25.0 points higher | 1.9% of jobs2025 | 26.9% of jobs#70 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industrySamoa: 1.6 points higher | 14.3% of jobs2025 | 15.9% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesFrench Polynesia: 26.5 points higher | 83.7% of jobs2025 | 57.2% of jobs#93 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentSamoa: 0.4 points higher | -0.2% of GDP2024 | 0.2% of GDP#156 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsSamoa: 9.3 points higher | 18.3% of GDP2024 | 27.6% of GDP#107 of 168 · 2025 |
| Mobile subscriptionsFrench Polynesia: 1.92× the mobile subscriptions | 119 per 1002023 | 62 per 100#171 of 191 · 2022 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaSamoa: 1.36× the forest share | 42% of land2024 | 58% of land#33 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personFrench Polynesia: 2.16× the CO₂ per person | 3.46 t a year2024 | 1.60 t a year#113 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energySamoa: 28.9 points higher | 7.0%2022 | 35.9%#67 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 4.6 µg/m³#187 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landSamoa: 2.3 points higher | 5.6% of land2025 | 7.9% of land#152 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landSamoa: 3.4 points higher | 0.7% of land2024 | 4.1% of land#138 of 190 · 2024 |
| Precipitation | — | 2,880 mm#7 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilitySamoa: 0.76 higher | +0.582025 | +1.34#8 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionSamoa: 0.86 higher | −0.202025 | +0.66#48 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.3 per 100,000#43 of 146 · 2018 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of France | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryparliamentary democracy (Assembly of French Polynesia); an overseas collectivity of France | Parliamentary republic |
| Capital | Papeete | Apia |
| Currency | CFP Franc (XPF) | Samoan tālā (WST) |
| Official languages | French | English, Samoan |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC−10 · UTC−10 to UTC−9, 3 time zones | UTC+13 |
| Calling code | +689 | +685 |
| Region | Polynesia, Oceania | Polynesia, Oceania |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. French Polynesia sits at about 15° S and is stretched to 1.07× its true area; Samoa at 14° S is stretched to 1.06×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is French Polynesia bigger than Samoa?
- Yes. French Polynesia is 47% larger than Samoa. French Polynesia covers 4,167 km² and Samoa covers 2,842 km².
- How many times does Samoa fit into French Polynesia?
- About 1.5 times: French Polynesia has 1.47× the area of Samoa.
- Why do French Polynesia and Samoa look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. French Polynesia is drawn about 1.07× its true area there and Samoa about 1.06×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, French Polynesia or Samoa?
- French Polynesia: 282,465 people against 219,306. Density: French Polynesia 68 per km², Samoa 77 per km².
- Which is richer, French Polynesia or Samoa?
- By gross national income per person, French Polynesia: $24,100 against $5,640 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 4.27× as much.
- Where do people live longer, French Polynesia or Samoa?
- In French Polynesia: life expectancy at birth is 84.2 years, against 71.8 — 12.4 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do French Polynesia and Samoa have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — French Polynesia: dependent territory; Samoa: parliamentary republic.