Except for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste, all economies managed to
increase average incomes during this time. Samoa and Tonga had more rapid increases in per
capita incomes than in real GDP as the result of their high level of emigration—which keeps
population growth at very low levels—and the high level of remittances from emigrants working
overseas. The GDP and per capita GDP growth rates for RMI are difficult to reconcile. While
RMI citizens have free entry into the US, the emigration rate is not very high. So it is hard to see
how per capita GDP growth could be 1-2 per cent higher than GDP growth. Papua New Guinea
has a high rate of population growth. It also experienced declines in GDP in 2000 and 2001.
Together, these meant a significant decline in average incomes over the decade