The territory’s population keeps dropping.
The 2018 mid year population of American Samoa is estimated at 59,600…700 people less compared to the population estimate of July 1st last year.
The population estimate is derived from the balancing equation method which adds the natural growth…births minus deaths… and net migration of residents and immigrants.
The Statistics Division of the Department of Commerce reports that recent trends of the local population declined due to fewer births and higher mortality.
The number of births dropped again to 977 versus an increase in deaths to 311.
The natural growth of the population added only 666 persons to the estimate.
Fertility continued to drop while more and more residents are moving off island.
The Statistics Division says net migration is the most difficult to assess due to lack of quality data.
“However, tracking net migration using immigration arrival and departure statistics suggest that we may have lost another 2,000 plus residents the past year,” says the mid year population estimate report.
Of the 59,600 people estimated to be in American Samoa on July 1, 2018 females number 30,288 and males totaled 29,312.
The largest age group is the 25-64 year old which numbered 26,448 followed by the 6 -13 year olds making up 10,441 and the third largest age group was the 14-18 year olds numbering 5,552.
