| Economy - overview | American Samoa s a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US with which American Samoa conducts most of its commerce. Tuna fishing and processing are the backbone of the private sector with processed fish products as the primary exports. The fish processing business accounted for 15.5% of employment in 2015. In late September 2009, an earthquake and the resulting tsunami devastated American Samoa and nearby Samoa, disrupting transportation and power generation, and resulting in about 200 deaths. The US Federal Emergency Management Agency oversaw a relief program of nearly $25 million. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism has some potential as a source of income and jobs. |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | $658 million (2016 est.) $674.9 million (2015 est.) $666.9 billion (2014 est.) note: data are in 2016 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate) | $658 million (2016 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | -2.5% (2016 est.) 1.2% (2015 est.) 1% (2014 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | $11,200 (2016 est.) $11,300 (2015 est.) $11,200 (2014 est.) |
| GDP - composition, by end use | household consumption: 66.4% (2016 est.) government consumption: 49.7% (2016 est.) investment in fixed capital: 7.3% (2016 est.) investment in inventories: 5.1% (2016 est.) exports of goods and services: 65% (2016 est.) imports of goods and services: -93.5% (2016 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 27.4% (2012) industry: 12.4% (2012) services: 60.2% (2012) |
| Population below poverty line | NA |
| Labor force | 17,850 (2015 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: NA industry: 15.5% services: 46.4% (2015 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 29.8% (2005) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA |
| Budget | revenues: 249 million (2016 est.) expenditures: 262.5 million (2016 est.) |
| Taxes and other revenues | 37.8% (of GDP) (2016 est.) |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -2.1% (of GDP) (2016 est.) |
| Public debt | 12.2% of GDP (2016 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -0.5% (2015 est.) 1.4% (2014 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock |
| Industries | tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA |
| Exports | $428 million (2016 est.) $427 million (2015 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | canned tuna |
| Exports - partners | Australia 25%, Ghana 19%, Indonesia 15.6%, Burma 10.4%, Portugal 5.1% (2017) |
| Imports | $615 million (2016 est.) $657 million (2015 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | raw materials for canneries, food, petroleum products, machinery and parts |
| Imports - partners | Fiji 10.7%, Singapore 10.4%, NZ 10.4%, South Korea 9.3%, Samoa 8.2%, Kenya 6.4%, Australia 5.2% (2017) |
| Debt - external | NA |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used |
| Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
