01Key Takeaways
- Samoa imported $473.31 million worth of goods in 2023, up 6.3% from $445.41 million in 2022, the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
- Mineral fuels led import categories at 22.9% ($108.48 million), by far the largest single category.
- Singapore supplied 23.2% of imports ($109.82 million), by far the largest single partner.
- New Zealand ranked second among partners at 21.2% ($100.15 million), and was also Samoa's top export destination.
024-Year Trend
| Year | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Value | $390.7M | $368.2M | $445.4M | $473.3M |
03Top Import Markets (2023)
| Rank | Partner | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore | $109.8M | 23.2% |
| 2 | New Zealand | $100.1M | 21.2% |
| 3 | China | $59.5M | 12.6% |
| 4 | Fiji | $45.2M | 9.6% |
| 5 | Australia | $40.6M | 8.6% |
| 6 | United States | $37.9M | 8.0% |
| 7 | Japan | $17.5M | 3.7% |
| 8 | Thailand | $13.7M | 2.9% |
| 9 | Hong Kong SAR China | $12.8M | 2.7% |
| 10 | South Korea | $8.3M | 1.8% |
04Top Import Categories (2023)
| Rank | Category | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Products of their Distillation; Bituminous Substances; Mineral Waxes | $108.5M | 22.9% |
| 2 | Meat and Edible Meat Offal | $34.5M | 7.3% |
| 3 | Vehicles other than Railway or Tramway Rolling-Stock, and parts and accessories thereof | $31.4M | 6.6% |
| 4 | Nuclear Reactors, Boilers, Machinery and Mechanical Appliances; Parts thereof | $23.9M | 5.0% |
| 5 | Dairy Produce; Birds' Eggs; Natural Honey; Edible Products of Animal Origin, not elsewhere specified or included | $18.4M | 3.9% |
| 6 | Electrical Machinery and Equipment and parts thereof; Sound Recorders and Reproducers, Television Image and Sound Recorders and Reproducers, and Parts and Accessories of such Articles | $17.4M | 3.7% |
| 7 | Preparations of Cereals, Flour, Starch or Milk; Pastrycooks' Products | $16.2M | 3.4% |
| 8 | Articles of Iron or Steel | $11.9M | 2.5% |
| 9 | Wood and Articles of Wood; Wood Charcoal | $11.9M | 2.5% |
| 10 | Plastics and Articles thereof | $11.8M | 2.5% |
05Trade Partner Map
06Analysis
Import Value Has Grown Across Most of the Dataset's Window
Samoa imported $473.31 million worth of goods in 2023, up 6.3% from $445.41 million in 2022. This is the most recent year with verified trade data available in this dataset.
This dataset's trend data for Samoa has a gap. It includes 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023, but not 2020, the same gap that appears on the export side of trade for this country. Import value stood at $390.68 million in 2019. It eased to $368.24 million in 2021, then climbed to $445.41 million in 2022 and $473.31 million in 2023.
Export value for this country fell sharply between 2019 and 2021, then only partly recovered. Import value followed a different path. It has grown in every year the dataset covers after that 2021 low point. This dataset does not include information explaining either pattern.
Fuel Alone Makes Up Nearly a Quarter of All Imports
Mineral fuels and related products led every import category in 2023. They were worth $108.48 million, or 22.9% of the total, far ahead of every other category. Samoa's fuel supply is imported from Singapore under a sole supply contract held by Petroleum Product Supplies Ltd. That arrangement lines up closely with Singapore's position as Samoa's largest single import partner. Meat and edible meat offal followed at 7.3% ($34.51 million), and vehicles added 6.6% ($31.40 million).
Machinery, boilers and mechanical appliances contributed 5.0% ($23.87 million). Dairy produce, eggs and honey added 3.9% ($18.35 million), and electrical machinery and equipment contributed 3.7% ($17.36 million). Cereal preparations added 3.4% ($16.20 million). Iron or steel articles contributed 2.5% ($11.90 million), and wood and articles of wood added 2.5% ($11.86 million). Plastics closed out the top ten at 2.5% ($11.77 million).
Fuel's 22.9% share here is smaller than the 41.7% share fuel holds on the export side of trade for this country. Even so, it remains by far the largest single import category. Both directions of Samoa's trade in this dataset are shaped heavily by fuel.
Singapore and New Zealand Supply Most of These Imports
Singapore supplied 23.2% of Samoa's imports in 2023, worth $109.82 million, by far the largest single partner. New Zealand ranked a close second at 21.2% ($100.15 million), and China followed at 12.6% ($59.45 million). Together, the top three suppliers made up 56.9% of total import value.
Fiji contributed 9.6% ($45.23 million), and Australia added 8.6% ($40.55 million). The United States contributed 8.0% ($37.85 million), and Japan added 3.7% ($17.46 million). Thailand contributed 2.9% ($13.69 million), and Hong Kong SAR China added 2.7% ($12.78 million). The South Korea closed out the top ten at 1.8% ($8.32 million).
New Zealand appears prominently on both sides of Samoa's trade in this dataset. It ranks second among import suppliers at 21.2%. It also ranks first among export destinations, covered in the companion export data for this country, at 20.9%. Singapore, by contrast, does not appear among Samoa's top ten export destinations at all, despite supplying close to a quarter of its imports.
Taken together, this dataset's most recent confirmed year describes a small economy importing fuel and a broad mix of consumer and industrial goods, mainly from Singapore, New Zealand and China. Its export list, by comparison, runs through a smaller and more Pacific-focused set of partners.