December 11, 2020
The estimates of gross domestic product for American Samoa show that real GDP—GDP adjusted to remove price changes—decreased 1.4 percent in 2019.
The decline in real GDP reflected decreases in government spending, exports, and private fixed investment that were partly offset by an increase in consumer spending and inventory investment. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, decreased.
Government spending decreased 8.8 percent. This decrease primarily reflected a decline in territorial government spending following the completion in 2018 of a multimillion-dollar telecommunications construction project.
Exports decreased 4.7 percent, primarily reflecting a decrease in exports of canned tuna and related products.
Private fixed investment decreased 22.7 percent. This decrease reflected declines in construction activity and purchases of equipment following the completion in the prior year of reconstruction activities associated with Tropical Cyclone Gita.
Consumer spending increased 3.0 percent. This reflected growth in services that was largely driven by purchases of health care services. Health care services included those directly financed by government social benefits such as Medicaid. The federal government’s Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019 (P.L. 116-20) provided American Samoa with additional federal Medicaid funding.
Inventory investment increased, reflecting growth in supplies held by the canning industry.
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