STATISTICS: SOLOMON ISLANDS

Solomon Islands Official name: Solomon Islands. Form of government: constitutional monarchy with one legislative house (National Parliament ). Chief of state: British Monarch represented by Governor-General. Head of government: Prime Minister. Capital: Honiara. Official language: English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents; valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = SI$4.99; 1 = SI$8.50. Demography Population (1998): 426,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 38.9, persons per sq km 15.0. Urban-rural (1997): urban 18.0%; rural 82.0%. Sex distribution (1996): male 51.65%; female 48.35%. Age breakdown (1996): under 15, 43.7%; 15-29, 28.7%; 30-44, 15.2%; 45-59, 8.1%; 60-74, 3.6%; 75 and over, 0.7%. Population projection: (2000) 459,000; (2010) 600,000. Doubling time: 22 years. Ethnic composition (1986): Melanesian 94.2%; Polynesian 3.7%; other Pacific Islander 1.4%; European 0.4%; Asian 0.2%; other 0.1%. Religious affiliation (1986): Christian 96.6%, of which Protestant 75.7% (including Church of Melanesia [Anglican] 33.9%), Roman Catholic 19.2%; traditional beliefs 2.1%; other 1.3%. Major cities (1986){1}: Honiara 43,643{2}; Gizo 3,727; Auki 3,262; Kira Kira 2,585; Buala 1,913. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1997): 36.2 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1997): 4.1 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1997): 32.1 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1997): 5.0. Marriage rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Divorce rate per 1,000 population: n.a. Life expectancy at birth (1997): male 69.0 years; female 74.0 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1990): respiratory diseases 22.4; diarrheal diseases 13.6; malaria 10.0. National economy Budget (1996). Revenue: SI$484,900,000 (foreign grants 30.6%, taxes on goods and services 25.1%, taxes on foreign trade 20.5%, nontax revenue 15.1%, income taxes 8.7%). Expenditures: SI$540,100,000 (administrative 40.8%, capital expenditure 38.1%, interest payments 11.3%, subsidies and transfers 9.8%). Tourism: receipts from visitors (1993) U.S.$6,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad (1992) U.S.$11,000,000. Land use (1994): forested 87.5%; meadows and pastures 1.4%; agricultural and under permanent cultivation 2.0%; other 9.1%. Gross national product (at current market prices; 1996): U.S.$349,000,000 (U.S.$900 per capita). Household income and expenditure. Average household size (1996) 5.8; average annual income per household{3} (1983) SI$1,010 (U.S.$1,160); sources of income (1983): wages and salaries 74.1%, self-employment, remittances, gifts, and other assistance 25.9%; expenditure (1992){4}: food 46.8%, housing 11.0%, household operations 10.9%, transportation 9.9%, recreation and health 7.9%, clothing 5.7%, drinks and tobacco 5.0%. Population economically active (1993): total 29,577{5} ; activity rate of total population 8.3% (participation rates: ages 15-60 98.6%; female 22.6%; unemployed n.a.). Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): coconuts 225,000, sweet potatoes 63,000, palm oil and kernels 33,000, taro 27,000, yams 20,500, vegetables and melons 5,900, cacao beans 2,700; livestock (number of live animals) 55,000 pigs, 10,000 cattle, 145,000 chickens; roundwood (1995) 872,000 cu m; fish catch (1995) 46,462. Mining and quarrying (1994): gold 997 troy oz. Manufacturing (1993): processed fish 34,700; sawnwood 16,000 cu m; other major industries include beer brewing, soap and tobacco manufacturing, garment manufacturing, weaving, wood carving, fiberglass products, boatbuilding, and leatherworking. Construction (gross value in SI$ in Honiara; 1994): residential 9,508,000; nonresidential 11,151,000. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 30,000,000 (30,000,000); coal none (n.a.); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) none (50,000); natural gas, none (n.a.). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$97,900,000. Foreign trade{6} Imports (1994): SI$468,121,000 (machinery and transport equipment 38.0%, manufactured goods 19.9%, food 13.1%, mineral fuels and lubricants 8.2%). Major import sources: Australia 37.2%; Japan 17.1%; New Zealand 9.6%; Singapore 8.4%; United States 2.8%; Thailand 2.7%. Exports (1994): SI$467,875,000 (timber products 59.2%, fish products 21.2%, palm oil products 9.5%, copra 4.2%, cacao beans 2.7%). Major export destinations: Japan 41.1%; South Korea 14.1%; United Kingdom 13.1%; The Netherlands 8.5%; Thailand 4.5%; Singapore 3.4%; Australia 1.5%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1995): total length 826 mi, 1,330 km (paved 2%). Vehicles (1993): passenger cars 2,052; trucks and buses 2,574. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 33; total deadweight tonnage 4,985. Air transport (1994): passenger-mi 40,000,000, passenger-km 65,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 3,000,000, metric ton-km cargo 5,000,000; airports (1997) with scheduled flights 21. Education and health Educational attainment (1986){7}. Percentage of population age 25 and over having: no schooling 44.4%; primary education 46.2%; secondary 6.8%; higher 2.6%. Literacy (1976): total population age 15 and over literate 55,500 (54.1%); males 33,600 (62.4%); females 21,900 (44.9%). Health (1990): physicians 52 (1 per 6,154 persons); hospital beds 265 (1 per 1,208 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1997) 23. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,131 (vegetable products 93%, animal products 7%); 93% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel: no military forces are maintained, but a police force of 475 provides internal security. {1} Ward populations. {2} 1996. {3} Public-service earnings. {4} Retail price index components. {5} Persons employed in the monetary sector only. {6} Import figures are f.o.b. {7} Indigenous population only.