Photo: Neil derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 09 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Samoa: Democracy & Civil Liberties
Do people choose their rulers, and can they speak freely?
Samoa is placed 67th of 198 countries on democracy & civil liberties in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Rule of Law 1.061 (2025); Civic Space Ratings 81 (2025).
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Democracy & Civil Liberties
67th
of 198 countries placed
Placed from 3 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Samoa on democracy & civil liberties — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used — or, for a survey-based key, each country’s latest reading; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
1.061
Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)
Higher is better
Samoa: 1.061. Across the 211 countries in this edition, values run from -2.199 (Venezuela) to 2.012 (Finland); the world median is -0.102.
- World median
- -0.102
- Best in Polynesia
- 1.353 Tuvalu
81
Civic space score (0–100)
Higher is better
Samoa: 81. Across the 198 countries in this edition, values run from 2.17 (North Korea) to 100 (Kiribati); the world median is 50.46.
- World median
- 50.46
- Best in Polynesia
- 87.62 Tuvalu
Key 3 of 4
V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY-SA 4.0
No reading
Electoral democracy index (0–1)
Higher is better
V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg publishes no 2025 figure for Samoa, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 176 countries in this edition, values run from 0.016 (Saudi Arabia) to 0.913 (Denmark); the world median is 0.497.
- World median
- 0.497
Key 4 of 4
Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index
Electoral Integrity Project (EIP)
Latest reading per country, 2015–2025 · Samoa’s is from 2025 · CC BY 4.0
42.24
Electoral Integrity Index (0–100; higher = greater electoral integrity)
Higher is better
Samoa: 42.24. Across the 171 countries at their latest reading, values run from 12.86 (Iraq) to 88.61 (Sweden); the world median is 54.78.
- World median
- 54.78
- Best in Polynesia
- 42.24 Samoa
02Over time
Which way Samoa is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Rule of Law
Rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5) · higher is better
SamoaWorld median
Samoa rose from 0.789 in 2000 to 1.061 in 2025; the world median went from -0.175 to -0.102.
Every year’s figures
Year Samoa World median 2025 1.06101 -0.10240 2024 1.06099 -0.10722 2023 1.08565 -0.10312 2022 1.07788 -0.12950 2021 1.08911 -0.13640 2020 1.20646 -0.14164 2019 1.22020 -0.13092 2018 0.96778 -0.13830 2017 1.02377 -0.15682 2016 1.02435 -0.15385 2015 0.95535 -0.18731 2014 0.95346 -0.20216 2013 0.85684 -0.21236 2012 0.85998 -0.20061 2011 0.86158 -0.25960 2010 0.84863 -0.21447 2009 0.79882 -0.15524 2008 0.91657 -0.16368 2007 1.00860 -0.15051 2006 1.00697 -0.11143 2005 1.10761 -0.08498 2004 0.57344 -0.14158 2003 0.79869 -0.15770 2002 0.80005 -0.13265 2000 0.78902 -0.17518
03In context
Samoa beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 198 countries on democracy & civil liberties, never a place within the region.
Samoa and Polynesia
Samoa has no land border, so the table compares it with its sub-region. Standing among all 198; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Rule of LawRule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5) | Civic Space RatingsCivic space score (0–100) | V-Dem Electoral Democracy IndexElectoral democracy index (0–1) | Perceptions of Electoral Integrity IndexElectoral Integrity Index (0–100; higher = greater electoral integrity) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Tuvalu | 19th | 1.353 | 87.62 | — | — |
| Samoa | 67th | 1.061 | 81 | — | 42.24 |
 Tonga | 77th | 0.774 | 80.03 | — | 39.18 |
 American Samoa | not placed | 1.348 | — | — | — |
 Cook Islands | not placed | 1.245 | — | — | — |
 French Polynesia | not placed | 0.649 | — | — | — |
 Niue | not placed | -0.057 | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Polynesia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 198.
Placed either side on democracy & civil liberties
The countries immediately above and below Samoa in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Samoa is ahead of the world, and behind
2 more statistics filed under democracy & civil liberties, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which Samoa does better than the middle country measured.
Voice and AccountabilityWorld Bank Group · 2025 · world median -0.0220.916-0.022▲ Improved since 2015
Samoa: 0.916 · world median -0.022 · Voice and Accountability estimate (−2.5 to 2.5). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -2.348 to 1.825; higher is better.
Position 43rd of 206 · derived.
Behind the world median1
Statistics on which Samoa does worse than the middle country measured.
Compliance with Labour RightsILO · 2024 · world median 1.611.671.61▼ Worsened since 2015
Samoa: 1.67 · world median 1.61 · Compliance with freedom of association and collective bargaining rights (0 = best, 10 = worst). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 10; lower is better.
No current reading for Samoa
Academic Freedom Index, Deliberative Democracy Index, Egalitarian Democracy Index, Equal Protection Index, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Freedom of Expression and Alternative Sources of Information Index, Freedom of Foreign Movement, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, Freedom of Religion, Government Censorship of the Media, Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic), Government Internet Shutdowns, Government Social Media Censorship, Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index, Liberal Democracy Index, Mass Mobilization, Military Dimension Index, Neopatrimonial Rule Index, Participatory Democracy Index, Physical Violence Index, Political Polarization, Social Institutions and Gender Index, V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index and Women's Political Empowerment Index. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Democracy & Civil Liberties among Samoa’s 15 topics
Democracy & Civil Liberties is Samoa’s 3rd best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Environment & Sustainability25th of 1863/4 keys
- Gender & Equalityjoint 56th of 1832/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties67th of 1983/4 keys
- Energy68th of 1652/3 keys
- Mobility & Trade73rd of 1773/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing95th of 2004/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience94th of 1933/4 keys
- Education & Knowledge99th of 1984/4 keys
- Economy & Innovation91st of 1762/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 106th of 1942/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequality99th of 1592/3 keys
- Development & Human Capitaljoint 136th of 1963/3 keys
- Food & Agriculture128th of 1843/4 keys
- Digital & Technology152nd of 1983/4 keys
- Work & Labour152nd of 1824/4 keys
No standing on Peace & Security: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on democracy & civil liberties
The three countries placed highest of 198, and the leaders Samoa can most readily be measured against.
1
NorwayNorthern Europe
1st of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Ximonic , Simo Räsänen · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
DenmarkNorthern Europe
2nd of 198 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: User:Aconcagua · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
LiechtensteinWestern Europe
3rd of 198 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Guido Radig,Inkey · CC BY 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Oceania
New Zealand7th4/4 keysHighest in Polynesia
Tuvalu19th2/4 keysThis page
Samoa67th3/4 keys
Positions out of 198 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Samoa and democracy & civil liberties
08Questions
Samoa on democracy & civil liberties: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Samoa rank on democracy & civil liberties?
Samoa is placed 67th of 198 countries on Democracy & Civil Liberties in the Country Index 2026, from 3 of its 4 key statistics (Rule of Law, Civic Space Ratings and Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Rule of Law figure for Samoa?
1.061 in 2025 (rule of Law estimate (−2.5 to 2.5)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was -0.102.
What is the latest Civic Space Ratings figure for Samoa?
81 in 2025 (civic space score (0–100)), according to CIVICUS. The world median in the same edition was 50.46.
How have Samoa’s democracy & civil liberties figures changed?
Rule of Law rose from 0.789 in 2000 to 1.061 in 2025.
Which democracy & civil liberties statistics are missing for Samoa?
No current reading is published for Samoa on Academic Freedom Index, Deliberative Democracy Index, Egalitarian Democracy Index, Equal Protection Index, Exclusion by Socio-Economic Group, Freedom of Expression and Alternative Sources of Information Index, Freedom of Foreign Movement, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly, Freedom of Religion, Government Censorship of the Media, Government Dissemination of False Information (Domestic), Government Internet Shutdowns, Government Social Media Censorship, Judicial Constraints on the Executive Index, Liberal Democracy Index, Mass Mobilization, Military Dimension Index, Neopatrimonial Rule Index, Participatory Democracy Index, Physical Violence Index, Political Polarization, Social Institutions and Gender Index, V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index and Women's Political Empowerment Index. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
This topic does not judge whether a government is competent or honest — that is Governance & Institutions — and it does not measure economic freedom. It also cannot capture everything about a political system in a single place in a list, which is why every key behind it links to the publisher's full edition.
How the Democracy & Civil Liberties standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The democracy & civil liberties method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Rule of Law — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Civic Space Ratings — CIVICUS, CC BY-SA 4.0
- V-Dem Electoral Democracy Index — V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Perceptions of Electoral Integrity Index — Electoral Integrity Project (EIP), CC BY 4.0
The other 2 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Samoa’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Samoa (banner) — Neil derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY 2.0
- Norway — Ximonic , Simo Räsänen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Denmark — User:Aconcagua, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Liechtenstein — Guido Radig,Inkey, CC BY 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Samoa: Democracy & Civil Liberties — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/samoa/democracy