Statistical information American Samoa 2023

American Samoa in the World

American Samoa - Introduction 2023

Tutuila was settled by 1000 B.C. and the island served as a refuge for exiled chiefs and defeated warriors from the other Samoan islands. The Manu’a Islands developed its own traditional chiefdom that maintained its autonomy by controlling oceanic trade. In 1722, Dutch explorer Jacob ROGGEVEEN was the first European to sail through the Manu’a Islands, and he was followed by French explorer Louis Antoine DE BOUGAINVILLE in 1768. Whalers and missionaries arrived in American Samoa in the 1830s, but American and European traders tended to favor the port in Apia - now in independent Samoa - over the smaller and less-developed Pago Pago on Tutuila. In the mid-1800s, a dispute arose in Samoa over control of the Samoan archipelago, with different chiefs gaining support from Germany, the UK, and the US. In 1872, the high chief of Tutuila offered the US exclusive rights to Pago Pago in return for US protection, but the US rejected this offer. As fighting resumed, the US agreed to the chief’s request in 1878 and set up a coaling station at Pago Pago. In 1899, with continued disputes over succession, Germany and the US agreed to divide the Samoan islands, while the UK withdrew its claims in exchange for parts of the Solomon Islands. Local chiefs on Tutuila formally ceded their land to the US in 1900, followed by the chief of Manu’a in 1904. The territory was officially named “American Samoa” in 1911.

The US administered the territory through the Department of the Navy. In 1949, there was an attempt to organize the territory, granting it formal self-government, but local chiefs helped defeat the measure in the US Congress. Administration was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1951, and in 1967, American Samoa adopted a constitution that provides significant protections for traditional Samoan land tenure rules, language, and culture. In 1977, after four attempts, voters approved a measure to directly elect their governor. Nevertheless, American Samoa officially remains an unorganized territory and people born in American Samoa are US nationals instead of US citizens, a status many American Samoans prefer.

American Samoa - Geography 2023

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Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 14 20 S, 170 00 W

Map reference: Oceania

Area
Total: 224 km²
Land: 224 km²
Water: 0 km²
Note: includes Rose Atoll and Swains Island
Comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries
Total: 0 km

Coastline: 116 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season (November to April), dry season (May to October); little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Atoll, Swains Island)

Elevation
Highest point: Lata Mountain 964 m
Lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

Natural resources: pumice, pumicite

Land use

Land use
Agricultural land: 24.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land arable land: 15% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent crops: 9.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land permanent pasture: 0% (2018 est.)
Forest: 75.5% (2018 est.)
Other: 0% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2022)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: cyclones common from December to March

Geography
Note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean

American Samoa - People 2023

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Population: 44,620 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: -1.74% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: American Samoan(s) (US nationals)
Adjective: American Samoan

Ethnic groups: Pacific Islander 88.7% (includes Samoan 83.2%, Tongan 2.2%, other 3.3%), Asian 5.8% (includes Filipino 3.4%, other 2.4%), mixed 4.4%, other 1.1% (2020 est.)
Note: data represent population by ethnic origin or race

Languages: Samoan 87.9% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 3.3%, Tongan 2.1%, other Pacific Islander 4.1%, Asian languages 2.1%, other 0.5% (2020 est.)
Note: most people are bilingual

Religions: Christian 98.3%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.91% (male 5,963/female 5,600)
15-64 years: 65.89% (male 14,512/female 14,888)
65 years and over: 8.2% (2023 est.) (male 1,707/female 1,950)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 52.3
Youth dependency ratio: 41.9
Elderly dependency ratio: 10.4
Potential support ratio: 9.6 (2021)

Median age
Total: 29.4 years (2023 est.)
Male: 28.8 years
Female: 30 years

Population growth rate: -1.74% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 16.2 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 6.2 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: -27.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 87.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.26% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 49,000 PAGO PAGO (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: limited supply of drinking water; pollution; waste disposal; coastal and stream alteration; soil erosion

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 11.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.6 years (2023 est.)
Male: 73.1 years
Female: 78.2 years

Total fertility rate: 2.13 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: NA
Improved rural: NA
Improved total: 99.8% of population
Unimproved urban: NA
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0.2% of population (2020 est.)

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density: NA

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access
Improved urban:

NA

rural: NA

total: 99% of population

Unimproved urban:

NA

rural: NA

total: 1% of population (2020 est.)

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: NA

Literacy
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment

American Samoa - Government 2023

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Country name
Conventional long form: American Samoa
Conventional short form: American Samoa
Former: Eastern Samoa
Abbreviation: AS
Etymology: the meaning of Samoa is disputed; some modern explanations are that the "sa" connotes "sacred" and "moa" indicates "center," so the name can mean "Holy Center"; alternatively, some assertions state that it can mean "place of the sacred moa bird" of Polynesian mythology; the name, however, may go back to Proto-Polynesian (PPn) times (before 1000 B.C.); a plausible PPn reconstruction has the first syllable as "sa'a" meaning "tribe or people" and "moa" meaning "deep sea or ocean" to convey the meaning "people of the deep sea"

Government type: unincorporated, unorganized Territory of the US with local self-government; republican form of territorial government with separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches

Capital
Name: Pago Pago
Geographic coordinates: 14 16 S, 170 42 W
Time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Note: pronounced pahn-go pahn-go

Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 districts and 2 islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western

Dependent areas

Independence: none (territory of the US)

National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900)

Constitution
History: adopted 17 October 1960; revised 1 July 1967
Amendments: proposed by either house of the Legislative Assembly; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by the membership of each house, approval by simple majority vote in a referendum, approval by the US Secretary of the Interior, and only by an act of the US Congress; amended several times, last in 2021

Legal system: mixed legal system of US common law and customary law

International law organization participation

Citizenship:

see United States
Note: in accordance with US Code Title 8, Section 1408, persons born in American Samoa are US nationals but not US citizens

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Joseph R. BIDEN Jr. (since 20 January 2021); Vice President Kamala D. HARRIS (since 20 January 2021)
Head of government: Governor Lemanu Peleti MAUGA (since 3 January 2021)
Cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 department directors appointed by the governor with the consent of the Legislature or Fono
Elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected on the same ballot by an Electoral College of 'electors' chosen from each state to serve a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as American Samoa, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; however, they may vote in Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections; governor and lieutenant governor directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2024)
Election results: Lemanu Peleti MAUGA elected governor in first round; percent of vote - Lemanu Peleti MAUGA (independent) 60.3%, Gaoteote Palaie TOFAU (independent) 21.9%, I'aulualo Fa'afetai TALIA (independent) 12.3%

Legislative branch
Description:

bicameral Legislature or Fono consists of:
Senate (18 seats; members indirectly selected by regional governing councils to serve 4-year terms)
House of Representatives (21 seats; 20 members in single- and multi-seat constituencies directly elected by simple majority popular vote and 1 decided by public meeting on Swains Island; members serve 2-year terms)

Elections:

Senate - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held in November 2024)
House of Representatives - last held on 3 November 2020 (next to be held on 5 November 2024)

Election results:

Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - independent 18; composition - men 17, women 1; percent of women 5.6%
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 20, women 1; percent of women 4.8%; note total Legislature percent of women 5.1%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: High Court of American Samoa (consists of the chief justice, associate chief justice, and 6 Samoan associate judges and organized into trial, family, drug, and appellate divisions); note - American Samoa has no US federal courts
Judge selection and term of office: chief justice and associate chief justice appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior to serve for life; Samoan associate judges appointed by the governor to serve for life
Subordinate courts: district and village courts

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party [T'ia REID, chairman]
Republican Party [Taulapapa William SWORD, chairman]

International organization participation: AOSIS (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, PIF (observer), SPC

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (territory of the US)
From the us embassy: none (territory of the US)

Flag description : a large white triangle edged in red that is based on the fly side and extends to the hoist side and is charged with an eagle, all on a blue field; the red, white, and blue colors are those traditionally used by both the United States and Samoa; the brown and white American bald eagle flies toward the hoist side and carries 2 traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a war club known as a "fa'alaufa'i" (upper; left talon), and a coconut-fiber fly whisk known as a "fue" (lower; right talon); the combination of symbols broadly mimics that seen on the US Great Seal and reflects the relationship between the US and American Samoa

National symbols: a fue (coconut fiber fly whisk; representing wisdom) crossed with a to'oto'o (staff; representing authority); national colors: red, white, blue

National anthem
Name: "Amerika Samoa" (American Samoa)
Lyrics/music: Mariota Tiumalu TUIASOSOPO/Napoleon Andrew TUITELELEAPAGA
Note: local anthem adopted 1950; as a territory of the United States, "The Star-Spangled Banner" is official (see United States)

National heritage

American Samoa - Economy 2023
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Economy overview: tourism, tuna, and government services-based territorial economy; sustained economic decline; vulnerable tuna canning industry; large territorial government presence; minimum wage increases to rise to federal standards by 2,036

Real 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

Real gdp growth rate:
-1.87% (2021 est.)
5.07% (2020 est.)
-0.49% (2019 est.)

Real gdp per capita:
$11,200 (2016 est.)
$11,300 (2015 est.)
$11,200 (2014 est.)

Gross national saving
Gdp composition by sector of origin

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 of origin
Agriculture: 27.4% (2012)
Industry: 12.4% (2012)
Services: 60.2% (2012)

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

Labor force: 17,850 (2015 est.)
Labor force

Unemployment rate: 29.8% (2005)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $249 million (2016 est.)
Expenditures: $262.5 million (2016 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.1% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 37.8% (of GDP) (2016 est.)

Public debt: 12.2% of GDP (2016 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

Inflation rate consumer prices:
-0.5% (2015 est.)
1.4% (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports:
$428 million (2016 est.)
$427 million (2015 est.)

Note: Data are in current year dollars and do not include illicit exports or re-exports.
Partners: Australia 25%, Ghana 19%, Indonesia 15.6%, Burma 10.4%, Portugal 5.1% (2017)
Commodities: refined petroleum, animal meal, vaccines and cultures, ethylene polymers, vulcanized rubber (2021)

Imports:
$615 million (2016 est.)
$657 million (2015 est.)

Partners: Fiji 10.7%, Singapore 10.4%, NZ 10.4%, South Korea 9.3%, Samoa 8.2%, Kenya 6.4%, Australia 5.2% (2017)
Commodities: raw materials for canneries, food, petroleum products, machinery and parts

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: NA

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: the US dollar is used

American Samoa - Energy 2023
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Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 59% (2020)
Access electrification-urban areas: 60% (2020)
Access electrification-rural areas: 45% (2020)
Installed generating capacity: 47,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 151 million kWh (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 12 million kWh (2019 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 2,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 2,346 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 355,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 355,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 88.796 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

American Samoa - Communication 2023
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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 10,000 (2021 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 22 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2,250 (2009 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2009 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media: 3 TV stations; multi-channel pay TV services are available; about a dozen radio stations, some of which are repeater stations

Internet
Country code: .as
Users total: 18,135 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 40.3% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions

American Samoa - Military 2023
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Military expenditures

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups

American Samoa - Transportation 2023
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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 3 (2021)
With paved runways: 3
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Heliports

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 241 km (2016)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Pago Pago

American Samoa - Transnational issues 2023
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Disputes international: none identified

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs