Among the Pacific Island nations, Samoa is one of the countries that have taken the greatest strides toward the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
Samoa has already surpassed the goal of reducing hunger by half and is on track to meet gender, maternal mortality and water targets. These achievements have been a result of steady economic growth, propelled by remittances from Samoan migrants.
But equitable distribution of social and economic benefits remains a challenge: 10 percent of the poorest households earn only 1.8 percent of the total national income. These households have limited access to public services such as health care and education. Exacerbating their condition is the lack of quality employment opportunities in urban and rural areas.