Laws in Samoa
How Samoa is classified on 24 of the 48 laws this site maps, grouped by subject. Each links to the full answer and its source.
Body & Life
- Abortion
- Legal (limited) Abortion is permitted on limited grounds such as a risk to health.
Money & Games
- Gambling Age
- 21+ Minimum age to gamble: 21.
- Cryptocurrency
- Legal Cryptocurrency is legal to own and trade.
Animals & Environment
- Fur Farming
- Legal No ban on fur farming.
- Cosmetic Animal Testing
- No ban No ban on testing cosmetics on animals.
- Plastic Bag Bans
- Banned Lightweight plastic bags are banned nationwide.
Civic & Family
- Voting Age
- 19+ The voting age is 21.
- Compulsory Voting
- Compulsory (enforced) Samoa adopted compulsory voting in 2018, first implemented in the 2021 general election.
Relationships & Sexuality
- Same-Sex Activity
- Illegal Same-sex sexual activity is a criminal offence.
- Age of Consent
- 16–17 The age of consent is 16.
- Sex Work
- Illegal Selling sex is a criminal offense under the Crimes Act 2013.
- Pornography
- Illegal Online pornography is blocked by court order, and American Samoa explicitly bans it.
- Incest Laws
- Criminal offense
- Marriage Age
- 18+ Minimum marriage age: 21.
Speech & Belief
- Holocaust Denial
- No specific law No specific law against Holocaust denial.
- Flag Desecration
- Criminal offense Desecrating the national flag is a criminal offense punishable by fine or imprisonment.
- Conversion Therapy
- Partial ban Samoa bans conversion therapy only for registered health professionals under the Mental Health Act.
Justice & Weapons
- Death Penalty
- Fully abolished Fully abolished for all crimes.
- Gun Laws
- Highly restrictive / banned Civilians cannot obtain handguns.
- Military Conscription
- No conscription
Substances
- Cannabis
- Illegal Cannabis is illegal for all purposes.
- Drinking Age
- 21+ Minimum age to buy alcohol: 21.
- Smoking Age
- 19+ Minimum age to buy tobacco: 21.
- Psilocybin Mushrooms
- Illegal Psilocybin is a controlled substance; possession is a criminal offence.
Nearby countries
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.