French Polynesia vs Samoa
French Polynesia has 1.3× the population of Samoa: 282,465 vs 219,306, a gap of 63,159. Samoa is growing faster (+0.59% vs +0.23% a year), adding about 1,291 people a year against +659. Using continuous exponential growth from the stated base year, if these rates held, Samoa would overtake French Polynesia in about 71 years (from the 2025 population bases, around 2096) — a projection, not a forecast. French Polynesia is the older society: 11.9% aged 65+ against 6.1% in Samoa, while Samoa has more children (38.1% under 15 vs 18.5%). People in French Polynesia live 12.4 years longer on average (84.2 vs 71.8). GDP per capita is 3.8× higher in French Polynesia ($22,440 vs $5,873).
Country/territory population bases: World Bank 2025 (French Polynesia) and 2025 (Samoa); growth years 2025 / 2025. Annual source values, not live counts; years may differ. Growth is national, not local.
French Polynesia vs Samoa — side by side
 French Polynesia |  Samoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 282,4652025 | 219,3062025 |
| Growth rate / yr | +0.23%2025 | +0.59%2025 |
| Births per 1,000 | 10.72024 | 25.02024 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | 3.82024 | 6.22024 |
| Children per woman | 1.492024 | 3.802024 |
| Life expectancy | 84.2 yrs2024 | 71.8 yrs2024 |
| Aged 0–14 | 18.5%2025 | 38.1%2025 |
| Aged 65+ | 11.9%2025 | 6.1%2025 |
| Density | 81.0 /km²2023 | 77.9 /km²2023 |
| Area | 3,471 km²2023 | 2,840 km²2023 |
| Urban population | 61.8%2025 | 17.5%2025 |
| Net migration / yr | -1,1992025 | -2,8152025 |
| GDP per capita | $22,4402024 | $5,8732025 |
| Country population rank (available records) | #180 | #182 |
| Base / world population (World Bank 2025) | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Highlighted cell = the higher value (not "better"). Small print under each value is its own data year. Source: World Bank; country/territory population bases may have different years. These are not live counts.
Population since 1960
World Bank population history (not the separate UN WPP timeline). French Polynesia: 3.4× from 1960 to 2025; Samoa: 1.9× from 1960 to 2025. Left: absolute population. Right: each series indexed to its own first available year = 100; baseline years may differ.
More comparisons
Region: East Asia & Pacific · rankings
French Polynesia: French Polynesia vs Vanuatu, French Polynesia vs New Caledonia, French Polynesia vs Barbados, French Polynesia vs São Tomé and Príncipe, French Polynesia vs Samoa, French Polynesia vs Saint Lucia.
Samoa: Samoa vs Barbados, Samoa vs French Polynesia, Samoa vs São Tomé and Príncipe, Samoa vs Saint Lucia, Samoa vs Guam, Samoa vs Channel Islands.
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This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.