KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1983 Population: 54,000 (2013) GDP p.c. growth: 1.6% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$13,460 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 73 Life expectancy: 75 years (est 2012) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 10 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 2.3% of GDP (2012) General information The two-island country of St Kitts and Nevis lies in the northern part of the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles in the Eastern Caribbean. The two islands are separated by a channel some 3 km in width. Climate: Tropical, cooled by the north-east trade winds. There is no distinct rainy season. The heat is not searing; the highest recorded temperature is 33°C. Hurricanes may occur in June–November. Population: 54,000 (2013); some 12,000 live on Nevis; 32 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 1.2 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2012 the birth rate was 14 per 1,000 people (est 26 in 1970) and life expectancy was estimated at 75 years. The population is mainly of mixed African and European descent, with a UK-descended minority. Economy: St Kitts and Nevis is classified as a high-income economy by the World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in St Kitts and Nevis was eight deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of ten deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. There has been a consistent decline in the under-five mortality rate since 1990, and St Kitts and Nevis has met the target of reducing underfive mortality by two-thirds, as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were birth asphyxia (31 per cent) and prematurity (21 per cent). Other contributory causes were congenital anomalies (ten per cent), neonatal sepsis (ten per cent) and injuries (six per cent). St Kitts and Nevis has universal maternal health care. Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for an estimated 83 per cent of all mortality in St Kitts and Nevis in 2008. The most prevalent NCDs are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 37 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Cancer, non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes contributed 18 per cent, two per cent and ten per cent to total mortality, respectively (2008). Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in St Kitts and Nevis accounted for an estimated eight per cent of all mortality in 2008. A government paper on HIV/AIDS reported a cumulative 358 HIV cases (110 of which resulted in death) in the period 1984–2013. St Kitts and Nevis is a non-endemic country for malaria. Estimated incidence of and estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from tuberculosis (TB) have risen overall since 1990, although both are lower now than they were in 1996. The current incidence rate is 4.6 incidences per 100,000 people. The most commonly diagnosed mental illness in St Kitts and Nevis is schizophrenia, followed by mood disorders. Health systems: In 2012 government expenditure on health was 2.3 per cent of GDP, equivalent to US$324 per capita. In the most recent survey, conducted between 1997 and 2010, there were 110 doctors, and 471 nurses and midwives per 100,000 people. Additionally, in 2011, 100 per cent of births were attended by qualified health staff and in 2013, 99 per cent of one-year-olds were immunised with one dose of measles. In 2012, 98 per cent of people were using an improved drinking water source and in 2011, Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015 243 St Kitts and Nevis
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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