2005
Demographics, Gender and Poverty
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Speaking one national language and sharing a common simple lifestyle, the 93 100 people of Kiribati inhabit a country of 33 atolls and reef islands stretching 5000 kilometres across the central-western Pacific. The total land area of 810 square kilometres falls into three island groups, lying within three exclusive economic zones, which together cover 3.5 million square kilometres. The people of Kiribati are Micronesian in origin.
A growing population and fixed amount of domestic resources dominate concerns about the future of Kiribati. During 2000-2003, the total population is estimated to have increased by 6000 persons, with two-thirds of that increase taking place in South Tarawa. According to estimates by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and the United Nations, the total population will double by 2025, and the population of South Tarawa (which has an annual growth rate of 5.2%) will double by 2015. About 41% of the population is below 15 years of age. This demographic structure ensures increasing pressure for services and jobs and serious and growing environmental problems (water quality, waste, sanitation, lagoon pollution), exacerbated by South Tarawa’s congestion. Crowded and unsanitary conditions contribute to the high incidence of diarrhoeal diseases and th high death rate for young children.
est Estimate