Apia, SAMOA — Samoa's population has increased in the past six years by four percent to 205,557.

The official report of the Samoa Population Housing Census 2021 released by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics shows that Upolu Island continues to have the largest share of the country's population with 78 percent, or 160,334 people.

Faleata on Upolu is the most populated among the 51 political districts, and Falealupo on Savai'i is the least populated, having 0.4 per cent of the population.

The report shows 51 percent of Samoans are male and 49 percent are female. But in terms of life expectancy women are living longer than men — 77 years compared to 74 years for males.

The median or average age of the total population was 22 years reflecting a youthful Samoan population.

It said the youthful population indicated continuous demands for developments catering for the needs of the young population such as education, health, and employment opportunities.

In 2016, the population was 195,979.

SAMOANS WARNED ABOUT WATER USAGE

Residents of Samoa are being called on to conserve water as the country experiences a "meteorological drought."

The Meteorological Division reports there is also a medium chance of very dry conditions throughout the country over the next three months.

On Tuesday the Samoa Water Scheme Association cautioned that over the course of the last 12 months, there'd been a significant drop in accumulated rainfall totals for much of the country.

The association says this has meant a significant reduction in ground water recharge, surface water flow, and water availability.

The met office says everyone needs to do their part to conserve water.

(Source: RNZ Pacific)