Travel safety comparison · Oceania
New Zealand vs Samoa: safety comparison
vs
Side-by-side safety comparison of New Zealand and Samoa for 2026: risk scores, FCDO and US State Department advisories, drug law, women's safety, LGBTQ+ legal status, and the practical decision between the two.
New Zealand sits a little lower on the Warnely composite score than Samoa (8 against 16), but the gap is small enough that the practical difference comes down to category-by-category detail rather than the headline. The biggest single category gap is in natural disasters, where Samoa scores 2/5 against New Zealand's 3/5. Women's-safety rating differs: New Zealand is Very Safe and Samoa is Generally Safe. Drug law diverges sharply: Samoa carries a tier-severe regime against New Zealand's more permissive framework.
| 🇳🇿New Zealand | 🇼🇸Samoa | |
|---|---|---|
| Warnely composite (0–100, lower is safer) | 8 / 100 | 16 / 100 |
| Risk tier | Very Safe | Very Safe |
| UK FCDO advisory | No active advisory | No active advisory |
| US State Department advisory | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) | Level 1 (Exercise Normal Precautions) |
| Global Peace Index rank | #3 | n/a |
| Drug law | Strict | Severe (long sentences) |
| Women's safety rating | Very Safe | Generally Safe |
| LGBTQ+ legal status | marriage | illegal |
| Tap water | n/a | n/a |
| Currency | NZD | WST |