Nauru

Nauru is a tiny, single island located in the Pacific Ocean that is notable for phosphate deposits. It was annexed by Germany in 1888 and phosphate mining began in the early 20th century under a German-British consortium. After occupation by Australia in World War I and Japan in World War II, Nauru became a United Nations trust territory, then an independent country in 1968. It is the world's smallest independent republic at 21 square kilometers and an estimated population of [Page 902]14,000. While for a time Nauru had the highest per capita income in the world due to its phosphate reserves, it has no arable land and has limited fresh water resources, which requires that all food be imported, and its phosphate resources are expected to run out in 2010.

The population of Nauru is predominantly young, with a median age of 21.6, and 34.7 percent of the population aged 14 years or younger. The population growth rate is 1.7 percent, with 24.3 births per 1,000 and 6.5 deaths per 1,000, and a total fertility rate (an estimate of the number of children born per woman) of 2.85. Life expectancy for men is 60.6 years, and for women is 68.0 years. Two factors depressing life expectancy are obesity and diabetes; Nauru has the highest rate of diabetics in the world. Most of the populace are Nauruan (58 percent) or other Pacific Islander (26 percent), with 8 percent European and 8 percent Chinese. Most are members of the Nauru Congregational (35.4 percent), Roman Catholic (33.2 percent), or Nauru Independent (10.4 percent) Church. Literacy is 96 percent with compulsory education from 6–15 years of age.

The economic situation of Nauru is deteriorating rapidly as its phosphate deposits will soon be depleted, and an ancillary source of income as a refugee processing center for Australia has also come to an end. The government faces bankruptcy and few national indicators are available, although health care and other social services are believed to be rapidly diminishing. The per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was estimated at $5,000 in 2005, with unemployment at 90 percent and nearly all those employed working for the government. Per capita expenditures on health in 2002 were $656, of which $582 was provided by the government, representing 9.2 percent of total government expenditures. Nauru spent 7.6 percent of its GDP on health in 2002.

Measures of maternal and childhood health are largely unavailable due to the chaotic economic and governmental situation. Reported childhood immunization rates vary from 95 percent to 40 percent for major diseases. The stillbirth rate is estimated at 13 per 1,000 total births, the early neonatal mortality rate is at 11 per 1,000 live births, and the neonatal mortality rate is at 14 per 1,000 live births. The under-5 mortality rate in 2003 was estimated at 30 per 1,000, with higher rates for males (35 per 1,000) than for females (24 per 1,000).