United States Minor Outlying Islands

Due to the lack of permanent residents and civilian infrastructure, standard metrics like GDP per capita, literacy rates, or life expectancy are non-applicable or not collected. This makes traditional socio-economic comparison impossible, highlighting their unique status as administrative rather than functional states.

Despite being grouped under a single statistical entity, the islands are geographically disparate, spanning both the Pacific Ocean (e.g., Midway Atoll, Wake Island) and the Caribbean Sea (e.g., Navassa Island). This vast separation complicates any unified regional analysis or environmental management strategy.

Since there is no permanent population and no significant civilian economic activity (GDP is effectively zero or non-existent), the 'economy' is entirely driven by external factors. Any economic input is limited to temporary military, scientific, or conservation budgets funded by the US government.

The total land area is minuscule at only 34.20 square kilometers, comparable to a small city park. However, their strategic location grants the US control over vast exclusive economic zones (EEZs) in the Pacific and Caribbean, making them geopolitically significant far beyond their physical size.