STATISTICS: BAHAMAS, THE

Bahamas, The Official name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Form of government: constitutional monarchy with two legislative houses (Senate ; House of Assembly ). Chief of state: British Monarch represented by Governor-General. Head of government: Prime Minister. Capital: Nassau. Official language: English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = B$1.00; 1 = B$1.70. Demography Population (1998): 293,000. Density (1998){1}: persons per sq mi 75.3, persons per sq km 29.1. Urban-rural (1995): urban 86.0%; rural 14.0%. Sex distribution (1995): male 48.91%; female 51.09%. Age breakdown (1995): under 15, 29.3%; 15-29, 28.6%; 30-44, 23.2%; 45-59, 11.6%; 60-74, 5.1%; 75 and over, 2.2%. Population projection: (2000) 302,000; (2010) 343,000. Doubling time: 42 years. Ethnic composition (1993): black 85.0%; white 12.0%; Asian or Hispanic 3.0%. Religious affiliation (1995): non-Anglican Protestant 45.4% of which Baptist 17.5%; Roman Catholic 16.8%; Anglican 10.8%; other/nonreligious 27.0%. Major cities (1990): Nassau 172,196{2}; Freeport/Lucaya 26,574; Marsh Harbour 3,611; Bailey Town 1,490; Dunmore Town (Harbour Island) 1,219. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1995): 22.5 (world avg. 25.0); (1994) legitimate 44.7%; illegitimate 55.3%. Death rate per 1,000 population (1995): 5.9 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1995): 16.6 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1996): 2.0. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1994): 9.2. Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1994): 1.7. Life expectancy at birth (1996): male 68.0 years; female 77.2 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1994): circulatory diseases 137.8; infectious diseases 99.1, of which AIDS 88.1; cancers 86.6. National economy Budget (1996-97). Revenue: B$714,900,000 (import taxes 47.2%, stamp taxes 17.8%, departure taxes 8.3%, fines and forfeits 6.3%, business and professional licenses 5.1%). Expenditures: B$765,800,000 (education 17.4%, health 13.8%, general administration 13.8%, public works and water supply 12.4%, interest on public debt 11.7%, public order 10.4%, defense 2.8%). National debt (March 1997): U.S.$1,556,000,000. Production (value of export production in B$'000 except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): crayfish 54,000, poultry products 26,300, citrus (particularly grapefruits and limes) 12,000, sponges 1,100, other marine products 2,500; roundwood (1995) 117,000 cu m. Mining and quarrying (value of export production; 1996): salt 18,100; aragonite 4,900. Manufacturing (value of export production; 1996): pharmaceuticals and other chemical products (1995) 74,200; rum 5,200. Construction (value of construction completed in B$'000,000; 1996): residential 92; nonresidential 65. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1995) 1,254,000,000 (1,085,000,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) negligible (555,000); natural gas, none (none). Tourism (1996): receipts U.S.$1,458,000,000; expenditures U.S.$240,000,000. Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1994) 3.9; income per household (1994) B$27,000 (U.S.$27,000); sources of income: n.a.; expenditure (1995){3}: housing 32.8%, transportation and communications 14.8% food and beverages 13.8%, household furnishings 8.9%. Gross national product (1996): U.S.$3,391,000,000 (U.S.$11,940 per capita). Population economically active (1994){4}: total 138,700; activity rate of total population 50.7% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 77.8%; female 46.8%; unemployed 13%). Land use (1994): forest 32.4%; pasture 0.2%; agriculture 1.0%; other 66.4%. Foreign trade{5}{6} Imports (1995): B$1,243,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 24.8%; food products 16.8%; petroleum for domestic use 12.6%; chemicals and chemical products 8.1%). Major import sources{7}: U.S. 92.8%; EC 2.8%. Exports (1995): B$176,000,000 (domestic exports 52.6%, of which crayfish 31.9%, salt 7.7%; reexports 47.4%, of which machinery and transport equipment 26.1%). Major export destinations: U.S. 81.1%; EC 9.2%; Canada 1.9%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1995): total length 1,522 mi, 2,450 km (paved 57%). Vehicles (1994): passenger cars 46,089; trucks and buses 11,858. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 1,061; total deadweight tonnage 33,081,652. Air transport (1994): passenger-mi 119,000,000, passenger-km 191,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 12,300, metric ton-km cargo 18,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 22. Education and health Educational attainment (1990). Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no formal schooling 3.5%; incomplete primary education 25.4%; complete primary/incomplete secondary 57.6%; complete secondary/higher 13.5%. Literacy (1995): total percentage age 15 and over literate 98.2%. Health: physicians (1992) 373 (1 per 709 persons); hospital beds (1993) 1,081 (1 per 249 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1995) 19.0. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,498 (vegetable products 68%, animal products 32%); 103% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel (1996): 860 (coast guard 100%). Military expenditure as percentage of GNP (1996){8}: 0.6% (world, n.a.); per capita expenditure U.S.$74. {1} Land area only. {2} Population cited is for New Providence Island. {3} Weights of retail price index components. {4} As of May. {5} Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. {6} Official Bahamian statistics exclude trade data for crude petroleum imported for storage by foreign companies, hormones, and inorganic and organic chemicals. {7} Excludes all petroleum imports. {8} Includes police.