Trinidad and Tobago

SITUATED BETWEEN the Caribbean Sea and the north Atlantic Ocean, the islands of Trinidad and Tobago are economically prosperous as a result of a booming tourist business and the petroleum and natural gas industries. In the diverse economy of the islands, 64.1 percent ofthe labor force are involved in services, mostly tourism. Nearly 10 percent are employed in agriculture. Prosperity is enhanced by low inflation and a trade surplus. Nevertheless, government officials are faced with a myriad of social problems that include poverty, a rise in violent crime, and an expanding HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Some 21 percent of the population of Trinidad and Tobago live in poverty and 10.4 percent are unemployed. Approximately 13 percent of islanders are malnourished. Some 39 percent of the population live on less than $2 a day, and 12.4 percent survive on less than $1 a day. Available resources are unevenly divided, with the richest 20 percent claiming 45.9 percent and the poorest 20 percent subsisting on 5.5 percent. Trinidad and Tobago is ranked 40.3 percent on the Gini Index of Human Inequality.

The current projected life span is 68.91 years among Trinidad and Tobago's population of 1,088,644. Women have an advantage over men of over five years on the average. In 1980, life expectancy on the islands was 66 years. The median age is 30.91 years. Some 21 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and 8.3 percent have lived to see the age of 65. Around nine percent of islanders will never see a 40th birthday. The 3.2 percent HIV/AIDS prevalence rate threatens both the health and economy of the islands. By 2003, 29,000 islanders were living with the disease, which had killed 1,900. Most islanders have access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and healthcare. However, nine percent of the population lacks access to safe water, and one percent have no access to proper sanitation. There are 75 physicians for every 100,000 residents, but 20 to 50 percent of the people cannot afford essential drugs.

According to estimates for 2005, infant mortality in Trinidad and Tobago occurs at the rate of 24.31 deaths per 1,000 live births. In the 1970s, infant mortality was over twice that figure, at 49 percent. Between 1970 and 2003, the mortality rate of children under the age of 5 was cut from 57 deaths per 1,000 to 17 per 1,000. Around six percent of island children are malnourished, and 23 percent of all babies are underweight at birth. Four percent of children under the age of 5 suffer from moderate to severe wasting, and five percent experience moderate to severe stunting. Infant immunization rates against DPT increased from 89 to 91 percent between 1992 and 2003. At the same time, polio vaccinations rose from 85 to 91 percent and measles vaccinations increased from 79 to 88 percent. Childhood immunizations range from 88 percent for measles vaccinations to 91 percent for DPT3 vaccinations among children between the ages of 12 and 23 months.

Fertility on Trinidad and Tobago is estimated at 1.75 children per woman. Among females aged 15 to 19, fertility stands at 42 per 1,000 births. Fertility has declined considerably on the islands since the 1970s, when the average rate was 3.5 children per woman. Approximately 38 percent of island women use some method of contraception. Trained medical staff attend 96 percent of all births. Estimates for 2000 place maternal mortality at 160 deaths per 100,000 live births.

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