American Samoa

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

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

chief of state: President Donald J. TRUMP (since 20 January 2025) head of government: Governor Nikolao PULA (since 3 January 2025) cabinet: Cabinet consists of 12 department directors appointed by the governor with the consent of the Legislature or Fono election/appointment process: 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) most recent election date: 19 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% expected date of next election: November 2028

note: American Samoa elects 1 member by simple majority popular vote to serve a 2-year term as a delegate to the US House of Representatives; the delegate can vote when serving on a committee and when the House meets as the Committee of the Whole House, but not when legislation is submitted for a full floor House vote

highest court(s): 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) 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 note: American Samoa has no US federal courts

history: adopted 17 October 1960; revised 1 July 1967 amendment process: 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

AOSIS (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, PIF (observer), SPC

defense is the responsibility of the US

$658 million (2016 est.) $674.9 million (2015 est.) $666.9 billion (2014 est.) note: data are in 2016 dollars

1.7% (2022 est.) -0.8% (2021 est.) 4.4% (2020 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

$409 million (2022 est.) $332 million (2021 est.) $427 million (2020 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - exports of goods and services in current dollars

$677 million (2022 est.) $694 million (2021 est.) $686 million (2020 est.) note: GDP expenditure basis - imports of goods and services in current dollars

revenues: $249 million (2016 est.) expenditures: $262.5 million (2016 est.)

tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts

bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock

total: 43,268 (2025 est.) male: 21,478 female: 21,790

-1.33% (2025 est.)

0-14 years: 25.3% (male 5,738/female 5,387) 15-64 years: 66% (male 14,291/female 14,679) 65 years and over: 8.7% (2024 est.) (male 1,775/female 2,025)

15.3 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-22.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 75.8 years (2024 est.) male: 73.4 years female: 78.5 years

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

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

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

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

pumice, pumicite

3 (2025)

total subscriptions: 2,250 (2004 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 4 (2004 est.)

percent of population: 40.3% (1990 est.)