Vanuatu

THE REPUBLIC OF Vanuatu is an archipelago of 83 islands located in the south Pacific Ocean. The largest islands are Espiritu Santo, Efate, Malekula, Malo, Pentecost, and Tanna. As the New Hebrides, the islands were administered by an Anglo-French condominium until 1980. Upon achieving independence, the islands became known as Vanuatu.

Approximately 65 percent of the labor force on Vanuatu are engaged in small-scale agriculture. Vanuatu is subject to tropical cyclones and typhoons from January to April, and volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis pose threats throughout the year. Fishing and offshore financial services are also major revenue producers for the islands. With several thousand visitors each year, the country's tourism industry is continually expanding. Around five percent of the labor force are involved in light industries that service local markets and those of neighboring islands. The Vanuatu economy depends on Australia and New Zealand to supply both foreign aid and tourists.

Vanuatu is a lower-middle-income nation with an annual per-capita income of $2,900. There are no people without food or housing on the islands. However, women, rural residents of remote areas, and the poorest urbanites may experience hardships. These hardships include a lack of access to employment, healthcare, education, clean water, hygiene facilities, roads, and shipping services.

The Vanuatu population is relatively young. Between 1980 and 2005, life expectancy increased from 58 to 61 years for males and from 62 to 64.05 years for females. The median age is 22.64 years. One-third of the population is under the age of 14, and 3.6 percent have reached the age of 65. While all islanders have access to proper sanitation, only 88 percent of residents have access to safe drinking water. There are 12 physicians for every 100,000 residents on the islands, so access to healthcare is limited.

While childhood mortality continues to be higher than is acceptable, mortality rates have declined dramatically in Vanuatu over the last several decades. Between [Page 1134]1970 and 2003, the infant mortality rate fell from 107 deaths per 1,000 live births to 31 deaths per 1,000. The mortality rate of children under the age of 5 plunged from 160 deaths per 1,000 in 1970 to 38 deaths per 1,000 in 2003.

Children in Vanuatu die for a variety of reasons, which include malnutrition, preventable diseases, acute respiratory infections, diarrhea, and malaria. About 20 percent of all children under the age of 5 are malnourished, and six percent of all infants are underweight at birth. Around 19 percent of all children under the age of 5 are moderately to severely stunted. Childhood immunization rates in Vanuatu have declined over the past decade. Currently, immunization rates for children between birth and 23 months old vary from 44 percent against measles to 54 percent against DPT. The only exception is the 90 percent immunization rate against tuberculosis.

Very few women use birth control; however, fertility rates have declined. The fertility rate of women of childbearing age dropped from 6.3 children per woman in 1980 to 4.1 children in 2005. The fertility rate among adolescents stands at 53 births per 1,000. Just over 89 percent of all births occur in the presence of trained medical staff. According to modeled estimates for 2000, maternal mortality on Vanuatu occurs at a rate of 130 deaths per 100,000 live births.

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