Samoa moved west of the International Date Line and skipped December 30, 2011.
Before the change, Samoa's calendar was nearly a day behind its major trading partners in Australia and New Zealand. At the end of December 29, 2011, the country advanced its clocks by 24 hours, moving directly to December 31 and omitting December 30.
The change shifted Samoa from the eastern side of the International Date Line to the western side. It was intended to improve business, travel, and communication with nearby Pacific and Asia-Pacific economies. Samoa had previously made the opposite alignment choice in 1892.
Samoa is often described as having “lost a day,” but no physical time disappeared; the legal calendar was changed. Tokelau made a related change at the same time, while American Samoa remained on the other side of the date line.