Pacific island small states - Gross capital formation (% of GDP)

Gross capital formation (% of GDP) in Pacific island small states was 18.59 as of 2020. Its highest value over the past 40 years was 29.94 in 1981, while its lowest value was 13.12 in 1992.

Definition: Gross capital formation (formerly gross domestic investment) consists of outlays on additions to the fixed assets of the economy plus net changes in the level of inventories. Fixed assets include land improvements (fences, ditches, drains, and so on); plant, machinery, and equipment purchases; and the construction of roads, railways, and the like, including schools, offices, hospitals, private residential dwellings, and commercial and industrial buildings. Inventories are stocks of goods held by firms to meet temporary or unexpected fluctuations in production or sales, and "work in progress." According to the 1993 SNA, net acquisitions of valuables are also considered capital formation.

Source: World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.

See also:

Year Value
1980 27.56
1981 29.94
1982 23.18
1983 19.45
1984 17.22
1985 18.09
1986 18.14
1987 17.13
1988 14.21
1989 15.12
1990 15.60
1991 15.87
1992 13.12
1993 15.50
1994 13.58
1995 13.81
1996 15.73
1997 16.13
1998 21.82
1999 19.22
2000 15.50
2001 14.71
2002 17.22
2003 19.61
2004 18.06
2005 19.69
2006 19.01
2007 17.84
2008 23.76
2009 21.51
2010 22.41
2011 22.09
2012 19.07
2013 25.43
2014 18.82
2015 22.15
2016 20.74
2017 21.75
2018 19.88
2019 19.14
2020 18.59

Limitations and Exceptions: Because policymakers have tended to focus on fostering the growth of output, and because data on production are easier to collect than data on spending, many countries generate their primary estimate of GDP using the production approach. Moreover, many countries do not estimate all the components of national expenditures but instead derive some of the main aggregates indirectly using GDP (based on the production approach) as the control total. Data on capital formation may be estimated from direct surveys of enterprises and administrative records or based on the commodity flow method using data from production, trade, and construction activities. The quality of data on government fixed capital formation depends on the quality of government accounting systems (which tend to be weak in developing countries). Measures of fixed capital formation by households and corporations - particularly capital outlays by small, unincorporated enterprises - are usually unreliable. Estimates of changes in inventories are rarely complete but usually include the most important activities or commodities. In some countries these estimates are derived as a composite residual along with household final consumption expenditure. According to national accounts conventions, adjustments should be made for appreciation of the value of inventory holdings due to price changes, but this is not always done. In highly inflationary economies this element can be substantial.

Statistical Concept and Methodology: Gross domestic product (GDP) from the expenditure side is made up of household final consumption expenditure, general government final consumption expenditure, gross capital formation (private and public investment in fixed assets, changes in inventories, and net acquisitions of valuables), and net exports (exports minus imports) of goods and services. Such expenditures are recorded in purchaser prices and include net taxes on products.

Aggregation method: Weighted average

Periodicity: Annual

Classification

Topic: Economic Policy & Debt Indicators

Sub-Topic: National accounts