View original document

The full text on this page is automatically extracted from the file linked above and may contain errors and inconsistencies.

EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 2:00 P.M. EST, Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Technical:
Media:

Christina Hovland (BEA)
Jeannine Aversa (BEA)
Tanya Harris Joshua (OIA)

(301) 278-9076
(301) 278-9003
(202) 208-6008

BEA 21–60

Territories@bea.gov
Jeannine.Aversa@bea.gov
Tanya_Joshua@ios.doi.gov

Gross Domestic Product for American Samoa, 2020
Gross Domestic Product by Industry and Compensation by Industry, 2019

Real gross domestic product (GDP) for American Samoa increased 4.0 percent in 2020 after decreasing
0.6 percent in 2019 (table 1.3), according to statistics released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic
Analysis (BEA). These statistics were developed under the Statistical Improvement Program funded by
the Office of Insular Affairs (OIA) of the U.S. Department of the Interior.
GDP for 2020
The increase in real GDP reflected widespread growth among the major components of GDP including
exports, private inventory investment, and government spending (table 1.4). These increases were
partly offset by an increase in imports, which is a subtraction item in the calculation of GDP.

American Samoa: Contributions to the Percent Change in Real GDP, 2020
Percentage points
9.0
6.0

4.0%

3.0

3.49
0.60

4.79

6.03

0.95

0.0
–3.0
–6.0
–9.0
–12.0
–15.0

–11.91

GDP

Personal
Private fixed
consumption investment
expenditures

Private
inventory
investment

Government
spending

Note. Imports are a subtraction item. Thus, an increase in imports results in a negative contribution to GDP.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Exports

Imports

How to Interpret Contributions to Percent Change in Major GDP Components
There is often interest in how much a specific GDP component contributes to the change in real GDP.
BEA publishes this measure in news release table 1.4. The chart above shows both the percent change
of total real GDP and the contributions (in percentage points) of each major component to that
change. For example, exports accounted for 6.03 percentage points of the 4.0 percent increase in real
GDP in 2020. This means, all else equal, had exports neither increased nor decreased in 2020, real GDP
would have decreased 2.0 percent.
Activity related to the tuna canning industry was a significant source of growth in the American Samoa
economy. The canning industry’s operations in American Samoa were less affected by the COVID-19
pandemic in comparison to other parts of the world. Exports of goods increased 15.5 percent, reflecting
an increase in exports of canned tuna and related products. Private inventory investment increased,
reflecting growth in supplies held by the tuna canning industry.
Government spending increased 10.1 percent; the increase was accounted for by growth in territorial
government spending. Spending by the American Samoa government was supported by federal grant
revenues, including Coronavirus Relief Fund payments.
COVID-19 Impact on the 2020 American Samoa GDP Estimate
According to the World Health Organization, there were zero confirmed cases of COVID-19 in American
Samoa in 2020. The American Samoa economy was affected by the government response to the global
COVID-19 pandemic. The territorial government instituted a number of restrictions, such as border
closures, and the federal government passed several laws to support and sustain businesses and
individuals through the pandemic. However, the full effects of the pandemic cannot be quantified in
BEA’s statistics for American Samoa because the impacts are generally embedded in the data sources
used to estimate the components of GDP.
GDP by industry and compensation by industry for 2019
In 2019, GDP declined by 0.6 percent. The newly available GDP by industry data, which are released on a
1-year lag, reveal that the 2019 GDP decline was the result of a decline in the private sector that was
partly offset by an increase in the public sector (table 2.5).
The contraction in the private sector reflected declines in both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing.
Manufacturing value added decreased 4.7 percent (table 2.4), reflecting decreased cannery output.
Nonmanufacturing value added decreased 1.0 percent, largely reflecting decreases in industries that
had previously supported reconstruction activities associated with Tropical Cyclone Gita.
The government sector increased 2.1 percent, primarily reflecting increases in compensation of
territorial government employees and operating surplus of territorial government enterprises.
Total compensation increased in 2019, reflecting growth in manufacturing industries and in the
territorial government sector (table 2.6).
-2-

The accompanying news release tables present estimates for GDP and its major components, GDP by
industry, compensation by industry, and estimates of gross domestic income.
Updates to GDP and Related Estimates
Estimates for 2018 and 2019 that were released on December 11, 2020, have been revised to
incorporate updates to source data, including the following:
• Value of imported goods by type from the American Samoa Department of Commerce,
• Number of visitor arrivals from the American Samoa Department of Commerce,
• The American Samoa Department of Commerce Statistical Yearbook,
• Audited financial statements for the American Samoa Government and its independent
agencies, and
• Wage and employment information from the U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
The revised estimates exhibit a pattern of inflation-adjusted GDP growth similar to the previously
published estimates (table 1.7).
For more information on the data sources underlying these estimates, see the appendix in “Territorial
Economic Accounts for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam,
and the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

Next release: Summer 2022
Gross Domestic Product for American Samoa, 2021
American Samoa GDP by Industry and Compensation by Industry, 2020

-3-

Additional Information
Resources
•

•
•
•

American Samoa production of goods and services that is
provided to the rest of the world. Imports measures the
portion of total American Samoa expenditures that is
accounted for by goods and services provided by the rest of
the world.

Stay informed about BEA developments by
reading The BEA Wire, signing up for BEA’s email
subscription service, or following BEA on Twitter
@BEA_News.
Historical time series for gross domestic product
for the U.S. territories can be accessed at BEA’s
website.
For more on BEA’s statistics, see our monthly
online journal, the Survey of Current Business.
For upcoming economic indicators, see BEA’s
news release schedule.

Government consumption expenditures and gross
investment, or “government spending,” measures the
portion of GDP that is accounted for by the government
sector. Government consumption expenditures consists of
spending by government to produce and provide services
to the public. Gross investment consists of spending by
government for fixed assets that directly benefit the public
or that assist government agencies in their production
activities.

Definitions

Gross domestic income (GDI) is the sum of incomes earned
and costs incurred in the production of GDP. In national
economic accounting, GDP and GDI are conceptually equal.

Gross domestic product (GDP) is the value of the goods and
services produced by the American Samoa economy less
the value of the goods and services used up in production.
GDP is also equal to the sum of personal consumption
expenditures, private fixed investment, change in private
inventories, net exports of goods and services, and
government consumption expenditures and gross
investment.

Current-dollar estimates are valued in the prices of the
period when the transactions occurred—that is, at “market
value” (also referred to as “nominal estimates” or as
“current-price estimates”).
Real values are inflation-adjusted estimates—that is,
estimates that exclude the effects of price changes.

Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) measures the
goods and services purchased by “persons”—that is, by
households and by nonprofit institutions serving
households—who are resident in American Samoa.

Statistical conventions
Quantities (“real” volume measures) and prices are
expressed as index numbers with a specified reference year
equal to 100 (currently 2012). Quantity and price indexes
are calculated using a Fisher chain-weighted formula that
incorporates weights from 2 adjacent years. “Real” dollar
series are calculated by multiplying the quantity index by
the current-dollar value in the reference year and then
dividing by 100.

Private fixed investment measures spending by private
businesses, nonprofit institutions, and households on fixed
assets in the American Samoa economy. Fixed assets
consists of structures, equipment, and software that are
used in the production of goods and services.
Change in private inventories, or “private inventory
investment,” is a measure of the value of the change in the
physical volume of the inventories—additions less
withdrawals—that businesses maintain to support their
production and distribution activities.

Chained-dollar values are not additive, because the relative
weights for a given period differ from those of the reference
year.

Net exports of goods and services is the difference
between exports of goods and services and imports of
goods and services. Exports measures the portion of total

-4-

List of News Release Tables
Table 1.1.
Table 1.2.
Table 1.3.
Table 1.4.
Table 1.5.
Table 1.6.
Table 1.7.
Table 2.1.
Table 2.2.
Table 2.3.
Table 2.4.
Table 2.5.
Table 2.6.

Gross Domestic Product
Real Gross Domestic Product, Chained Dollars
Percent Change from Preceding Year in Real Gross Domestic Product
Contributions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product
Percent Change from Preceding Year in Prices for Gross Domestic Product and Price
Indexes for Gross Domestic Product
Gross Domestic Income
Revisions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product
Value Added by Industry
Value Added by Industry as a Percentage of Gross Domestic Product
Real Value Added by Industry
Percent Changes in Real Value Added by Industry
Contributions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product by Industry
Compensation of Employees by Industry

-5-

American Samoa
1. Domestic Product and Income
Table 1.1. Gross Domestic Product
[Millions of dollars]
Line
Gross domestic product

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1

640

638

643

673

671

612

639

648

709

Personal consumption expenditures
Goods
Durable goods
Nondurable goods
Services
Net foreign travel

2
3
4
5
6
7

420
183
23
160
246
-9

446
207
25
181
247
-8

463
217
34
183
256
-10

460
214
32
182
256
-10

463
209
30
179
264
-9

471
208
26
182
270
-7

487
214
27
187
277
-3

509
213
29
184
297
-1

513
233
51
182
277
3

Private fixed investment
Change in private inventories

8
9

54
0

66
6

72
32

56
23

53
46

54
38

56
-11

46
-4

54
18

Net exports of goods and services
Exports
Goods
Services
Imports
Goods
Services

10
11
12
13
14
15
16

-163
483
457
26
646
588
57

-193
458
435
24
651
591
60

-266
429
402
27
695
625
70

-237
428
401
27
665
596
69

-210
429
401
27
639
571
68

-264
362
336
26
626
552
74

-227
436
410
25
662
573
89

-215
399
377
23
614
546
68

-225
426
421
5
651
593
59

Government consumption
expenditures and gross investment
Federal
Territorial

17
18
19

329
22
306

313
21
292

343
24
319

371
26
345

320
26
294

313
25
288

334
25
310

312
23
289

350
22
328

Note. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

American Samoa

Table 1.2. Real Gross Domestic Product, Chained Dollars
[Millions of chained (2012) dollars]
Line
Gross domestic product

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1

640

624

635

655

644

599

615

612

636

Personal consumption expenditures
Goods
Durable goods
Nondurable goods
Services
Net foreign travel

2
3
4
5
6
7

420
183
23
160
246
-9

440
204
25
179
243
-7

451
213
33
180
248
-10

458
211
31
180
255
-9

463
207
29
178
263
-8

460
202
25
176
263
-5

465
203
27
176
264
-2

481
201
28
173
279
0

485
221
48
173
260
3

Private fixed investment
Change in private inventories

8
9

54
0

63
6

67
33

51
28

48
56

48
43

48
-11

39
-5

44
22

Net exports of goods and services
Exports
Goods
Services
Imports
Goods
Services

10
11
12
13
14
15
16

-163
483
457
26
646
588
57

-192
481
458
23
673
614
59

-250
503
477
26
753
686
67

-239
540
515
26
780
713
67

-222
534
508
26
755
688
67

-251
417
393
24
668
595
71

-191
473
451
22
664
581
81

-181
448
428
20
628
566
61

-218
493
495
4
712
658
55

Government consumption
expenditures and gross investment
Federal
Territorial

17
18
19

329
22
306

308
21
287

331
23
308

359
25
333

309
25
284

297
24
273

304
23
282

278
21
258

306
20
287

American Samoa

Table 1.3. Percent Change from Preceding Year in Real Gross Domestic Product
[Percent]
Line
Gross domestic product

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1

-2.5

1.6

3.3

-1.8

-6.9

2.7

-0.6

4.0

Personal consumption expenditures
Goods
Durable goods
Nondurable goods
Services
Net foreign travel

2
3
4
5
6
7

4.7
11.3
10.4
11.5
-1.0
……..

2.7
4.7
32.2
0.9
2.0
……..

1.4
-1.0
-5.8
-0.2
3.1
……..

1.1
-1.7
-5.8
-1.0
3.1
……..

-0.6
-2.9
-13.3
-1.1
-0.2
……..

1.1
0.7
5.0
0.1
0.2
……..

3.5
-0.8
6.5
-1.9
6.0
……..

0.8
9.5
71.4
-0.4
-6.9
……..

Private fixed investment
Change in private inventories

8
9

15.7
……..

6.1
……..

-23.4
……..

-7.1
……..

1.3
……..

-0.4
……..

-19.0
……..

13.5
……..

Net exports of goods and services
Exports
Goods
Services
Imports
Goods
Services

10
11
12
13
14
15
16

……..
-0.5
0.1
-10.2
4.2
4.3
3.9

……..
4.8
4.3
12.7
11.9
11.8
12.9

……..
7.4
7.9
-0.7
3.5
3.9
0.4

……..
-1.2
-1.3
-0.7
-3.1
-3.5
0.0

……..
-21.9
-22.8
-8.3
-11.5
-13.5
6.1

……..
13.5
14.9
-5.3
-0.6
-2.4
13.0

……..
-5.4
-5.1
-11.4
-5.4
-2.5
-24.1

……..
10.2
15.5
-78.5
13.3
16.3
-10.1

Government consumption
expenditures and gross investment
Federal
Territorial

17
18
19

-6.4
-4.6
-6.5

7.5
9.9
7.3

8.4
9.5
8.4

-13.9
-1.1
-14.8

-4.0
-4.1
-4.0

2.6
-5.9
3.3

-8.5
-8.8
-8.5

10.1
-5.2
11.3

American Samoa

Table 1.4. Contributions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product
Line
Percent change:
Gross domestic product
Percentage points:
Personal consumption expenditures
Goods
Durable goods
Nondurable goods
Services
Net foreign travel

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1

-2.5

1.6

3.3

-1.8

-6.9

2.7

-0.6

4.0

2
3
4
5
6
7

3.06
3.23
0.37
2.86
-0.37
0.21

1.92
1.55
1.29
0.25
0.77
-0.40

1.01
-0.34
-0.30
-0.04
1.20
0.16

0.72
-0.53
-0.27
-0.26
1.16
0.10

-0.45
-0.91
-0.60
-0.31
-0.06
0.53

0.86
0.25
0.21
0.03
0.11
0.51

2.63
-0.27
0.27
-0.54
2.57
0.32

0.60
3.05
3.15
-0.10
-3.08
0.63

Private fixed investment
Change in private inventories

8
9

1.35
0.90

0.64
4.05

-2.62
-0.67

-0.58
3.37

0.11
-1.66

-0.03
-8.20

-1.67
1.01

0.95
3.49

Net exports of goods and services
Exports
Goods
Services
Imports
Goods
Services

10
11
12
13
14
15
16

-4.50
-0.34
0.07
-0.41
-4.16
-3.81
-0.35

-8.70
3.24
2.76
0.48
-11.94
-10.70
-1.24

1.07
4.69
4.72
-0.03
-3.63
-3.59
-0.04

2.28
-0.78
-0.75
-0.03
3.06
3.06
0.00

-2.98
-14.69
-14.35
-0.35
11.72
12.35
-0.64

8.78
8.16
8.39
-0.22
0.62
2.23
-1.61

1.93
-3.62
-3.17
-0.45
5.54
2.21
3.34

-5.88
6.03
8.66
-2.63
-11.91
-12.93
1.02

Government consumption
expenditures and gross investment
Federal
Territorial

17
18
19

-3.26
-0.16
-3.10

3.73
0.33
3.39

4.47
0.35
4.12

-7.58
-0.04
-7.54

-1.95
-0.16
-1.79

1.33
-0.25
1.58

-4.45
-0.34
-4.11

4.79
-0.18
4.97

American Samoa

Table 1.5. Percent Change from Preceding Year in Prices for Gross Domestic Product and
Price Indexes for Gross Domestic Product
Line
Gross domestic product
Personal consumption expenditures
Gross domestic product
Personal consumption expenditures

2012

2013

2014

1

17.4

2.1

-0.7

2

4.8

1.5

1.0

3

100.0

4

100.0

2015
1.2

2016

2017

[Percent]
1.6

2018

2019

2020

-2.0

1.7

1.8

5.4

2.2

0.9

0.0

102.1

-2.1
-0.2
2.4
[Index numbers, 2012=100]
101.4
102.6
104.3
102.2

103.9

105.8

111.5

101.5

102.5

104.8

105.8

105.8

100.4

100.1

102.5

Table 1.6. Gross Domestic Income
[Millions of dollars]
Line
Gross domestic income

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

1

640

638

643

673

671

612

639

648

709

Compensation of employees

2

272

277

294

308

311

294

301

309

……..

Taxes on production and imports
less subsidies

3

25

26

28

26

27

24

34

35

……..

Gross operating surplus

4

343

335

321

339

333

294

304

304

……..

Note. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Table 1.7. Revisions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product
Line

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

Percent change:
Revised
Previously published

1
2

-2.5
-2.5

1.6
1.6

3.3
3.3

-1.8
-1.8

-6.9
-6.9

2.7
3.3

-0.6
-1.4

Percentage points:
Revision

3

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

-0.6

0.8

American Samoa
2. GDP by Industry
Table 2.1. Value Added by Industry
[Millions of dollars]
Line
Gross domestic product

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

640

638

643

673

671

612

639

648

Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing

2
3
4

446
89
356

447
93
354

455
77
378

477
94
384

475
92
383

420
67
353

443
89
354

442
79
363

Government
Federal
Territorial

5
6
7

194
17
177

190
18
172

188
18
171

195
18
177

196
18
178

193
18
175

196
18
178

206
19
187

Note. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

Table 2.2. Value Added by Industry as a Percentage of Gross Domestic Product
[Percent]
Line
Gross domestic product

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing

2
3
4

70
14
56

70
15
55

71
12
59

71
14
57

71
14
57

69
11
58

69
14
55

68
12
56

Government
Federal
Territorial

5
6
7

30
3
28

30
3
27

29
3
27

29
3
26

29
3
27

32
3
29

31
3
28

32
3
29

Note. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.

American Samoa

Table 2.3. Real Value Added by Industry
[Millions of chained (2012) dollars]
Line
Gross domestic product

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

640

624

635

655

644

599

615

612

Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing

2
3
4

446
89
356

439
88
351

457
91
366

477
105
373

466
104
364

424
83
341

444
97
348

436
92
345

Government
Federal
Territorial

5
6
7

194
17
177

186
18
168

178
17
161

179
17
162

178
17
161

174
16
158

172
16
155

176
16
159

Table 2.4. Percent Changes in Real Value Added by Industry
[Percent]
Line
Gross domestic product

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

-2.5

1.6

3.3

-1.8

-6.9

2.7

-0.6

Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing

2
3
4

-1.6
-1.5
-1.6

4.2
3.0
4.4

4.4
16.3
1.9

-2.3
-1.5
-2.5

-8.9
-20.2
-6.3

4.6
16.6
2.2

-1.7
-4.7
-1.0

Government
Federal
Territorial

5
6
7

-4.5
5.0
-5.4

-4.1
-4.0
-4.2

0.5
-1.3
0.7

-0.5
1.7
-0.7

-2.2
-4.9
-1.9

-1.3
0.4
-1.5

2.1
-1.4
2.5

American Samoa

Table 2.5. Contributions to Percent Change in Real Gross Domestic Product by Industry
Line
Percent change:
Gross domestic product (GDP)
Percentage points:
Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing
Government
Federal
Territorial

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

-2.5

1.6

3.3

-1.8

-6.9

2.7

-0.6

2
3
4

-1.09
-0.21
-0.88

2.89
0.40
2.49

3.10
1.98
1.11

-1.65
-0.20
-1.45

-6.27
-2.67
-3.61

3.15
1.92
1.23

-1.20
-0.63
-0.57

5
6
7

-1.36
0.13
-1.49

-1.26
-0.11
-1.15

0.16
-0.04
0.19

-0.15
0.05
-0.19

-0.65
-0.14
-0.52

-0.42
0.01
-0.43

0.65
-0.04
0.69

Note. Percentage-point contributions do not sum to the percent change in real gross domestic product because of
rounding and differences in source data used to estimate GDP by industry and the expenditures measure of real
GDP.

Table 2.6. Compensation of Employees by Industry
[Millions of dollars]
Line

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

1

272

277

294

308

311

294

301

309

Private industries
Manufacturing
Nonmanufacturing

2
3
4

104
40
63

105
42
63

116
45
72

124
51
73

128
51
77

118
40
79

127
49
78

131
54
77

Government
Federal
Territorial

5
6
7

169
16
152

171
17
154

178
17
161

185
17
167

183
18
165

175
17
158

174
18
156

178
18
160

Total compensation

Note. Detail may not add to total because of rounding.