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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 279 Trinidad and Tobago KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1962 Population: 1,341,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 3.5% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$15,760 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 64 Life expectancy: 70 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 21 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 2.7% of GDP (2012) General information The country, the most southerly of the West Indian island states, is situated 11.2 km off the Venezuelan coast. It consists of two islands: Trinidad and Tobago. Climate: Tropical, tempered by north-east trade winds, with a temperature range of 22–31°C and an average annual rainfall of 1,631 mm. The dry season is January–May and the wet season June–December, with a short dry sunny season called the Petit Careme in September–October. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; and soil erosion. Population: 1,341,000 (2013); of which some 54,000 live on Tobago; nine per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rates stood at 0.4 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2013 the birth rate was 14 per 1,000 people (27 in 1970) and life expectancy was 70 years (66 in 1970). The population is about 40 per cent Indian, 38 per cent African and 21 per cent mixed descent, with smaller numbers of people of European, Latin American and Chinese descent (2000 census). Economy: Trinidad and Tobago is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in Trinidad and Tobago was 19 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an underfive mortality rate of 21 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. There has been a consistent decline in the under-five mortality rate since 1990 that, although encouraging, is not yet in line with the country’s target of ten deaths per 1,000 live births as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the three most prominent causes of death for children below the age of five years were prematurity (28 per cent), congenital anomalies (26 per cent) an intrapartum-related complications (nine per cent). Other contributory causes were acute respiratory infections (eight per cent), injuries (seven per cent), neonatal sepsis (four per cent) and HIV/AIDS (one per cent). In 2013 Trinidad and Tobago had an adjusted maternal mortality rate of 84 deaths per 100,000 live births (an estimate from UN agencies/World Bank). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Trinidad and Tobago accounted for an estimated 80 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in Trinidad and Tobago are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 32 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Cancer, diabetes and non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed 16 per cent, 15 per cent and three per cent to total mortality, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for 11 per cent of deaths in 2012. Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Trinidad and Tobago accounted for an estimated nine per cent of all mortality in 2012. The prevalence of HIV in Trinidad and Tobago, as a percentage of people aged 15–49 years, stood at 1.7 per cent in 2012. HIV prevalence in Trinidad and Tobago has risen since 1990, although the rate of its growth decreased in the period 2000–12. Trinidad and Tobago is a nonendemic country for malaria. The estimated incidence of tuberculosis (TB) doubled in the period 1990–2010, before


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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