Solomon Islands KEY FACTS Joined Commonwealth: 1978 Population: 561,000 (2012) GDP p.c. growth: 0.5% p.a. 1990–2013 GNI p.c.: US$1,610 (2013) UN HDI 2014: World ranking 157 Life expectancy: 68 years (2013) Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births): 30 (2013) Largest contribution to mortality: Cardiovascular diseases Government health expenditure: 7.7% of GDP (2012) General information Solomon Islands, an archipelago in the south-west Pacific, consists of a double chain of rocky islands and some small coral islands. The major islands are Guadalcanal, Choiseul, Santa Isabel, New Georgia, Malaita and Makira (or San Cristobal). Vanuatu is the nearest neighbour to the south-east where the archipelago tapers off into a series of smaller islands. Its nearest neighbour to the west is Papua New Guinea. The country comprises the capital territory of Honiara and nine provinces, namely Central (provincial capital Tulagi), Choiseul (Taro Island), Guadalcanal (Honiara), Isabel (Buala), Makira and Ulawa (Kirakira), Malaita (Auki), Rennell and Bellona (Tigoa), Temotu (Lata) and Western (Gizo). Climate: Equatorial – hot and humid. During the rainy season (November–April) there are fierce tropical storms, for example Cyclone Zoë in December 2002, which devastated the isolated islands of Tikopia and Anuta. Environment: The most significant environmental issues are deforestation, soil erosion and that much of the surrounding coral reef is dead or dying. Population: 561,000 (2013); 21 per cent of people live in urban areas. The population growth rate stood at 2.6 per cent p.a. between the years of 1990 and 2013. In 2013 the birth rate was 31 per 1,000 people (46 in 1970) and life expectancy was 68 years (54 in 1970). About 95 per cent of the people are Melanesian, three per cent Polynesian and one per cent Micronesian (1999 census). There is a small expatriate population. Economy: Solomon Islands is classified as a lower-middle-income economy by World Bank. Health Child and maternal health: Infant mortality in Solomon Islands was 25 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013, with an under-five mortality rate of 30 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013. There has been an overall decline in the under-five mortality rate since 1990. Although this decline is encouraging, the under-five mortality rate is not yet in line with the country’s target of 13 deaths per 1,000 live births as defined by Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG 4). In 2010 the two most prominent known causes of death for children below the age of five years were acute respiratory infections (17 per cent), prematurity (14 per cent) and intrapartumrelated complications (13 per cent). Other contributory causes were congenital anomalies (12 per cent), injuries (nine per cent), diarrhoea (eight per cent), neonatal sepsis (seven per cent) and malaria (two per cent). In the period 2007–11 Solomon Islands had an adjusted maternal mortality ratio of 130 deaths per 100,000 live births (estimated at 93 deaths per 100,000 live births by UN agencies/World Bank in 2010). Burden of disease: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Solomon Islands accounted for an estimated 60 per cent of all mortality in 2012. The most prevalent NCDs in Solomon Islands are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 19 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2012. Cancer, diabetes and noncommunicable variants of respiratory diseases contributed ten per cent, eight per cent and six per cent to total mortality, respectively (2012). Injuries accounted for ten per cent of deaths in 2012. Communicable diseases along with maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions in Solomon Islands accounted for an estimated 30 per cent of all mortality in 2012. A government paper on HIV/AIDS reported that there were an estimated 14 people living in the country with HIV in 2013. The number of confirmed cases of malaria has declined steadily in the period 2000–19, while the number of deaths from malaria has fallen since 2009. There has been a significant reduction in estimated incidence of and estimated mortality (when mortality data excludes cases comorbid with HIV) from tuberculosis (TB) in the period 1990–2012. The most commonly diagnosed mental illnesses in Solomon Islands are depression and dementia. The problems are more prevalent in the areas that see the most alcohol and drug misuse. 264 Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
Commonwealth Health Partnerships 2015
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