STATISTICS: VANUATU

Vanuatu Official name: Ripablik blong Vanuatu (Bislama); Rpublique de Vanuatu (French); Republic of Vanuatu (English). Form of government: republic with a single legislative house (Parliament ). Chief of state: President. Capital: Vila. Official languages: Bislama; French; English. Official religion: none. Monetary unit: vatu (VT); valuation (Sept. 25, 1998) 1 U.S.$ = VT 131.87; 1 = VT 224.51. Demography Population (1998): 182,000. Density (1998): persons per sq mi 38.7, persons per sq km 14.9. Urban-rural (1997): urban 20.0%; rural 80.0%. Sex distribution (1989): male 51.60%; female 48.40%. Age breakdown (1989){1}: under 15, 45.5%; 15-29, 26.6%; 30-44, 15.2%; 45-59, 8.4%; 60-74, 3.7%; 75 and over, 0.6%. Population projection: (2000) 192,000; (2010) 245,000. Doubling time: 26 years. Ethnic composition (1989): Ni-Vanuatu 97.9%; European 1.0%; other Pacific Islanders 0.4%; other 0.7%. Religious affiliation (1989): Christian 77.2%, of which Presbyterian 35.8%, Roman Catholic 14.5%, Anglican 14.0%, Seventh-day Adventist 8.2%; Custom 4.6%; nonreligious 1.7%; unknown 4.0%; other 12.5%. Major towns (1989): Vila (Port-Vila) 19,400; Luganville (Santo) 6,900. Vital statistics Birth rate per 1,000 population (1997): 33.0 (world avg. 25.0). Death rate per 1,000 population (1997): 6.2 (world avg. 9.3). Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1997): 26.8 (world avg. 15.7). Total fertility rate (avg. births per childbearing woman; 1997): 4.4. Marriage rate per 1,000 population (1985): c. 7.4. Divorce rate per 1,000 population (1985): less than 0.7. Life expectancy at birth (1997): male 65.0 years; female 69.0 years. Major causes of death per 100,000 population (1994){2}: diseases of the circulatory system 39.0; diseases of the respiratory system 30.4; malignant neoplasms (cancers) 29.2; infectious and parasitic diseases 25.0; diseases of the digestive system 9.7. National economy Budget (1995). Revenue: VT 10,013,000,000 (foreign grants 35.5%, taxes on international trade 28.7%, taxes on goods and services 16.3%, nontax revenue 15.1%). Expenditures: VT 10,439,000,000 (current expenditure 67.4%, of which general public services 21.4%, education 12.7%, economic affairs and services 6.8%, health 5.7%, public order and safety 5.6%; development expenditure 32.6%). Household income and expenditure (1985){3}. Average household size (1989) 5.1; income per household U.S.$11,299; sources of income: wages and salaries 59.0%, self-employment 33.7%; expenditure (1990){3}{4}: food and nonalcoholic beverages 30.5%, housing 20.7%, transportation 13.2%, health and recreation 12.3%, tobacco and alcohol 10.4%. Production (metric tons except as noted). Agriculture, forestry, fishing (1996): coconuts 280,000, roots and tubers 50,000, copra (1994) 30,000, bananas 12,500, vegetables and melons 8,200, cacao beans 1,783, peanuts (groundnuts) 1,750, corn (maize) 700; livestock (number of live animals) 151,000 cattle, 60,000 pigs, 12,000 goats, 320,000 chickens; roundwood (1995) 63,200 cu m; fish catch (1995) 2,833. Mining and quarrying: small quantities of coral-reef limestone, crushed stone, sand, and gravel. Manufacturing (value added in VT '000,000; 1994): food, beverages, and tobacco 495; wood products 327; fabricated metal products 150; paper products 99; textiles, clothing, and leather 90; chemical, rubber, plastic, and nonmetallic products 83. Construction (approvals in Vila and Luganville; 1992): residential 20,386 sq m; nonresidential 19,876 sq m. Energy production (consumption): electricity (kW-hr; 1994) 29,000,000 (29,000,000); coal, none (none); crude petroleum, none (none); petroleum products (metric tons; 1994) none (20,000); natural gas, none (none). Land use (1994): forested 75.0%; meadows and pastures 2.0%; agricultural 11.8%; other 11.2%. Population economically active (1989): total 66,957; activity rate of total population 47.0% (participation rates: ages 15-64, 85.0%; female 46.3%; unemployed 0.5%). Gross national product (at current market prices; 1996): U.S.$224,000,000 (U.S.$1,290 per capita). Public debt (external, outstanding; 1996): U.S.$42,100,000. Tourism (1994): receipts from visitors U.S.$55,000,000; expenditures by nationals abroad U.S.$1,000,000. Foreign trade{5} Imports (1995): VT 10,659,000,000 (machinery and transport equipment 28.2%, basic manufactures 19.4%, food and live animals 15.0%, mineral fuels 8.0%, chemical products 6.6%, beverages and tobacco 3.5%). Major import sources: Australia 37.0%; New Zealand 12.0%; Japan 9.0%; France 6.0%; Fiji 6.0%. Exports (1995): VT 3,173,000,000 (copra 34.7%, beef and veal 13.5%, timber 7.9%, squash and pumpkin 4.7%, cacao beans 4.0%). Major export destinations{6}: European Union 37.0%; Japan 24.0%; Australia 10.0%; Bangladesh 10.0%; New Caledonia 6.0%. Transport Transport. Railroads: none. Roads (1995): total length 652 mi, 1,050 km (paved 24%). Vehicles (1994): passenger cars 4,000; trucks and buses 2,300. Merchant marine (1992): vessels (100 gross tons and over) 280; total deadweight tonnage 3,259,594. Air transport (1996): passenger-mi 93,000,000, passenger-km 150,000,000; short ton-mi cargo 845,000, metric ton-km 1,233,000; airports (1996) with scheduled flights 29. Education and health Educational attainment (1989). Percentage of population age 6 and over having: no formal schooling or less than one year 22.3%; some primary education 52.6%; lower-level secondary 18.3%; upper-level secondary and higher 4.8%; not stated 2.0%. Literacy (1979): total population age 15 and over literate 32,120 (52.9%); males 18,550 (57.3%); females 13,570 (47.8%). Health (1995): physicians 12 (1 per 14,025 persons); hospital beds 374 (1 per 450 persons); infant mortality rate per 1,000 live births (1997) 39. Food (1995): daily per capita caloric intake 2,541 (vegetable products 85%, animal products 15%); 111% of FAO recommended minimum requirement. Military Total active duty personnel: Vanuatu has a paramilitary force of about 300. {1} For indigenous population only. {2} Deaths reported to the Ministry of Health only. {3} Vila and Luganville only. {4} Weights of consumer price index components. {5} Imports c.i.f.; exports f.o.b. {6} Destination of domestic exports only.