News Release

EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 5:00 P.M. EDT, MONDAY, MAY 10, 2010
BEA 10-19

Gross Domestic Product for American Samoa

UTULEI, AMERICAN SAMOA (May 10, 2010) Today, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) is releasing its first set of estimates of the major components of gross domestic product (GDP) for American Samoa.1

Objectively gauging changes in economic activity is difficult in the absence of comprehensive economic metrics, such as the GDP. Until now, a framework did not exist to estimate the GDP of American Samoa. The Statistical Improvement Program, funded by the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) of the U.S. Department of the Interior, has made it possible for BEA to develop formal methodologies for measuring the GDP of American Samoa.

On May 5, 2010, BEA released estimates of total GDP for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The estimates for American Samoa showed that from 2002 to 2007, real GDP -- GDP adjusted to remove price changes -- grew at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent.2 (For comparison, the average annual growth rate for the United States (excluding the territories) was 2.8 percent over this period.)

The estimates released today supplement the estimates of total GDP for American Samoa that were released last week. The accompanying tables present estimates for the major components of GDP, including consumer spending, private fixed investment, private inventory investment, net exports, and government spending.3 Also included in this release are estimates of the major components of gross domestic income.

The estimates of the major components of GDP highlight the impact that the tuna canning industry had on American Samoa’s economic growth over the period 2002 to 2007. Cannery exports, which represent more than 90 percent of total exports of goods and services, accounted for most of the fluctuations in the year-to-year growth rates of real GDP. The volatility in the annual growth rates of real GDP also reflected changes in cannery imports, including imports of both raw tuna for canning and aluminum plates used to produce cans.

In constructing the estimates for American Samoa, BEA used methodologies consistent with the methods used to estimate U.S. GDP. Information from the Economic Census of Island Areas was used to establish levels of GDP for the years 2002 and 2007. Annual series were then developed and used to estimate GDP for the intervening years. Because American Samoa is not included in most of the major surveys used by BEA to estimate U.S. GDP, the support of government leaders in American Samoa and the assistance provided by the American Samoa Department of Commerce were critical to the successful production of the estimates presented in this release.

Moving forward, the agreement between OIA and BEA will extend and improve the estimates of GDP for American Samoa. BEA currently plans to release estimates for both 2008 and 2009 in the spring of 2011.

1 These estimates are based on limited source data and are subject to revision.

2 Summary GDP statistics for American Samoa are presented on page 3 of this news release.

3 Consumer spending refers to personal consumption expenditures, inventory investment refers to change in private inventories, and government spending refers to government consumption expenditures and gross investment.

BEA’s national, international, regional, and industry statistics; the Survey of Current Business; and BEA news releases are available without charge on BEA’s Web site at www.bea.gov. By visiting the site, you can also subscribe to receive free e-mail summaries of BEA releases and announcements.

American Samoa

From 2002 to 2007, real GDP of American Samoa increased at an average annual rate of 0.4 percent. The annual growth rates of real GDP ranged from -2.9 percent to +2.1 percent. The volatility in the growth rates of real GDP was primarily accounted for by changes in the exports of canned tuna. The tuna canning industry was the largest private employer in American Samoa during this period.

Summary Statistics for American Samoa
  2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2002-2007
AAGR 1
GDP (millions of dollars) 536 527 553 550 548 532 -0.1%
Real GDP (millions of chained 2005 dollars) 527 535 539 550 534 537 0.4%
Population 2 60,800 62,600 64,100 65,500 66,900 68,200 2.3%
Real GDP per capita (chained 2005 dollars) 8,668 8,546 8,409 8,397 7,982 7,874 -1.9%
1. Average annual growth rate. 2. Source: 2008 American Samoa Statistical Yearbook.        

Percentage change of Real GDP Growth for American Samoa 2003-2007

From 2002 to 2007, the population of American Samoa increased at an average annual rate of 2.3 percent, and real GDP per capita decreased at an average annual rate of 1.9 percent.

Chained (2005) dollars Per Capita Real GDP American Samoa 2002-2007

 
American Samoa
Table 1. Gross Domestic Product
  Line
[Millions of dollars]
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Gross domestic product
1 536 527 553 550 548 532
               
Personal consumption expenditures 2 301 321 349 360 367 369
               
Private fixed investment 3 12 13 18 22 20 20
Change in private inventories 4 3 23 22 -17 -7 -29
               
Net exports 5 -18 -76 -76 -53 -71 -56
  Exports 6 528 523 471 508 503 511
   Goods 7 503 496 441 480 477 487
   Services 8 25 27 29 28 26 23
  Imports 9 547 599 546 561 573 567
   Goods 10 512 559 506 524 536 532
   Services 11 34 40 40 37 37 35
               
Government consumption
 expenditures and gross investment
12 238 247 240 239 239 229
 Federal 13 11 20 22 14 12 12
 Territorial 14 227 227 218 225 227 217
 
American Samoa
Table 2. Real Gross Domestic Product, Chained Dollars
  Line
[Millions of chained (2005) dollars]
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Gross domestic product
1 527 535 539 550 534 537
               
Personal consumption expenditures 2 334 342 359 360 360 353
               
Private fixed investment 3 14 14 19 22 20 19
Change in private inventories 4 4 29 24 -17 -6 -22
               
Net exports 5 -94 -120 -109 -53 -69 -27
 Exports 6 592 579 487 508 473 478
  Goods 7 561 548 456 480 447 455
  Services 8 31 31 31 28 26 23
 Imports 9 686 699 596 561 542 505
  Goods 10 645 654 553 524 506 471
  Services 11 41 45 42 37 36 34
               
Government consumption
 expenditures and gross investment
12 262 265 246 239 229 215
 Federal 13 12 21 23 14 11 12
 Territorial 14 249 244 223 225 217 203
 
American Samoa
Table 3. Percent Change From Preceding Year in Real Gross Domestic Product
  Line
[Percent]
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Gross domestic product
1 1.5 0.7 2.1 -2.9 0.5
             
Personal consumption expenditures 2 2.5 4.9 0.1 0.2 -2.0
             
Private fixed investment 3 3.3 35.8 12.4 -8.4 -2.5
Change in private inventories 4          
             
Net exports 5          
  Exports 6 -2.2 -16.0 4.4 -6.9 1.1
   Goods 7 -2.4 -16.8 5.4 -6.9 1.8
   Services 8 1.0 -1.2 -10.3 -7.3 -11.5
 Imports 9 1.9 -14.8 -5.9 -3.4 -6.9
   Goods 10 1.4 -15.4 -5.3 -3.5 -7.0
   Services 11 8.6 -5.8 -13.5 -1.5 -5.7
             
Government consumption            
 expenditures and gross investment 12 1.1 -7.0 -2.9 -4.3 -6.1
 Federal 13 65.9 10.8 -40.2 -17.2 6.3
 Territorial 14 -2.2 -8.5 0.9 -3.5 -6.7
 
American Samoa
Table 4. Contributions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product
  Line  
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Percent change:            
  Gross domestic product 1 1.5 0.7 2.1 -2.9 0.5
Percentage points:            
Personal consumption expenditures 2 1.46 2.98 0.09 0.12 -1.39
             
Private fixed investment 3 0.08 0.86 0.42 -0.33 -0.09
Change in private inventories 4 3.70 -0.80 -7.14 2.20 -3.84
             
Net exports 5 -4.22 0.95 9.98 -2.98 8.58
 Exports 6 -2.21 -16.13 3.85 -6.49 1.00
   Goods 7 -2.26 -16.06 4.42 -6.13 1.56
   Services 8 0.05 -0.07 -0.57 -0.37 -0.56
 Imports 9 -2.01 17.08 6.13 3.51 7.59
   Goods 10 -1.43 16.63 5.11 3.41 7.19
   Services 11 -0.58 0.45 1.02 0.10 0.39
             
Government consumption            
  expenditures and gross investment 12 0.51 -3.28 -1.30 -1.89 -2.72
  Federal 13 1.45 0.40 -1.68 -0.43 0.14
  Territorial 14 -0.94 -3.68 0.38 -1.46 -2.86
 
American Samoa
Table 5. Percent Change From Preceding Year in Prices for Gross Domestic Product
and Price Indexes for Gross Domestic Product
  Line
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
[Percent]
    Gross domestic product 1 ....... -3.0 4.0 -2.4 2.5 -3.4
Personal consumption expenditures 2 ....... 4.1 3.5 3.0 1.8 2.6
   
[Index numbers, 2005=100]
  Gross domestic product 3 101.6 98.5 102.5 100.0 102.5 99.1
Personal consumption expenditures 4 90.1 93.8 97.1 100.0 101.8 104.4
 
American Samoa
Table 6. Gross Domestic Income
  Line
[Millions of dollars]
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
  Gross domestic income 1 536 527 553 550 548 532
Compensation of employees 2 229 242 253 260 260 257
Taxes on production and imports less subsidies 3 21 21 19 19 20 20
Gross operating surplus 4 286 265 280 271 268 256