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Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015

Antigua and Barbuda KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1981 Population: 90,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 0.7% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$12,910 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 61 Life expectancy: 76 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 9 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 3.9% of GDP (2012) General information Antigua and Barbuda, at the north of the Leeward Islands in the Eastern Caribbean, is composed of three islands: Antigua, Barbuda (40 km north of Antigua) and Redonda (40 km south-west of Antigua). Antigua comprises six parishes: St George, St John, St Mary, St Paul, St Peter and St Philip. Climate: Tropical and drier than most of the West Indies. The hot season, when most rain falls, is May–November. Hurricane Luis, the first hurricane in many decades, struck in mid-1995, causing particular damage to Barbuda, where it flooded 75 per cent of the island, including the main town of Codrington. Environment: The most significant environmental issue is limited natural freshwater resources, which is aggravated by the clearing of trees to increase crop production, causing rainfall to run off quickly. Population: 90,000 (2013); some 2,000 of whom reside on Barbuda; 35 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 1.6 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2012. In 2012 the birth rate was 16 per 1,000 people (est 26 in 1970) and life expectancy was 76 years (est 67 in 1970). The population is mainly (91 per cent) of African descent (2001 census). Economy: Antigua and Barbuda is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: The rate of infant mortality was eight deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of nine deaths per 1,000 live births in 2012. The under-five mortality rate in Antigua and Barbuda has been declining steadily since 1990. The country has now met its target of nine deaths per 1,000 live births as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the three most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were birth asphyxia (32 per cent), prematurity (16 per cent) and injuries (12 per cent). Other contributory causes were congenital anomalies (nine per cent) and other diseases (31 per cent). In the period 2007–12 Antigua and Barbuda had universal maternal health care. Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 80 per cent of all mortality in Antigua and Barbuda in 2008. The most prevalent NCDs in Antigua and Barbuda are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 36 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Other NCDs with a considerable prevalence among the country’s population are cancer, diabetes and respiratory diseases, which contributed 19 per cent, ten per cent and two per cent to total mortality, respectively (2008). Together with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions, communicable diseases accounted for 13 per cent of total deaths in Antigua and Barbuda across all age groups in 2008. A government paper on HIV/AIDS reported that there were 755 people living with HIV in the country in 2013. Antigua and Barbuda is a non-endemic country for malaria. Estimated incidences of tuberculosis (TB) increased dramatically in the period 1990–2013. Estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from TB fluctuated slightly in the period 1998–2013. 132 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015


Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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