Tokelau is a very poor community, with a purchasing power of about $1,000 per capita. The government has revenues of less than $500,000 per year against expenditures of some $2.8 million. The deficit is made up by foreign aid from New Zealand. Tokelau exports around $100,000 of stamps, copra, and handicrafts and imports over $300,000 of foodstuffs, building materials, and fuel to and from New Zealand.
Local industries include small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood work, plaited craft goods, stamps, coins, and fishing. Agriculture and livestock produces coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, and bananas, pigs, poultry, and goats.
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Tokelau has less than 1500 Polynesian inhabitants living in three villages. They speak the Tokelauan language[?] and the English language Their isolation and lack of resources greatly restrains economic development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand, resulting in a population decline of about 0.9% per year.
On the island of Atafu[?], all inhabitants are members of the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on Nukunonu[?], all are Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo[?], both denominations are present with the Congregational Christian Church predominant. The total proportions are: Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2%.
Tokelau has radiotelephone service between the islands and to Samoa and in 1997 established a government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with three satellite earth stations. Each atoll has a radio broadcast station that broadcasts shipping and weather reports and nearly every household has a radio.
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