Rt€@lll

-11
relationahip between high population growth and econornic srd social developrnent became a
significant issue within Pacific Aovernrnents. Only two generatione aarlier rnany of them had
been at least equally concerned about the popuhtion decline of the 19th century.
Bearing in mind the geographicel features of the Pecific Islands, low levelg of natural
resources in some of the countries and limitationa m ueable landa, some eountriee have been
viewing the population situation of the lest two decades with concern.
Associeted with the high rate of population growth is unemployment, high levels of
dependency m the state, poverty, malnutrition, high density living, inadequate houcing and
problems affecting health and education.
Annuel growth ratea in rmst Pecific countries are high, but there are a few exceptionc.
Niue, T*elau and the Cook Islands have expressed a negative growth rate due to
out-migration. See Table l.
Country Pqulation
(000's)
Arnerican Samoa tr.z
Cook Islands 17.7
Fiji 646.2
French Polynesia 49.8
Guam 106.4
Kiribati ,9.9
Nauru 7.t
New Caledonia 142.5
Niue t.2
Northern Mariana Is. 17.6
Papua New Guinea tO66.O
TABLE I - Eotimrtcd Pqulation (I98I-I98f)
and Arrrual Growth Rata (1975-f980i)
%
1.5
-0.7
1.8
2.?
0.6
t,6
0.8
L.2
-2.t
I.9
Country
Ppulation 96
(000's)
Pitcairn 0.1
Solomon Islands 2t5.O l.l
Tokelau 1.6 0
Tmga 98.4 L.7
TTPI L2',7 2.'
Tuvalu 7.6 4.6
Vanuatu 120.0 4.4
Wallis & Futune ll.2 t.2
Weetern Samoa 157.0 0.8
TOTAL 5004.4 1.9
TOTAL excluding P lc 1918.4 1.9
SOURCE: South Pacific Eeonomies 1981; SPC Danographic Unit
*Approximate five year period; Feirbairn 1982.
The United Nations predicts that the population in the Pacific region is expected to
reach nearly eight million by the turn of the eentury with the snnual growth rate of nearly
2%. See Table 2.
Although there is a projected decline in the growth rates for each of the mejor
sub-regions, the growth rate is still high, particularly in Melanesia and Micronesia.
A completely different picture applies to death rates. Death rates in the Pacific
declined rapidly immediately afler 1920 and the end of the influenza epidemic in Polynesie,
excepi in the Solomon Islands where the decline began after the l9l0'g. The expectation of
life at birth for most Pacific Islanders was under 50 at the beginning of lhe century, but
impnoved health services and improved socio-economic conditiong have led to an increase to
about 60 years in most countries. Recent findings indicate that the expectetion of life at
birth in Fiji is around 6l years; Weslern Sarnoa 63 years; Tmga under 60 yearEi Niue 6l
years; Cook Islands 51 years; Kiribati and Solomon Islands 54 years.
It was not until the 1960's that some of the Pacific countrieg developed policies geared
towarde lowering the population growth rates. Programmeg labelled Fenily Planning were
seen and are seen as the direct means to imptement governncntal policy to lower the birth
rates. Moet of the National Development plans recognize the problems of rapid population
growth and try to incorporate the Family Plenning programme within the broad framework of
socio-economic development. Horvever, in practice, family planning ie not integrated into the
various secLors of developrnent, and it is treated separately, r.rsually a8 psrt of the health
programme, wilh little relationehip to the reet of the socio-econornic developnnnt progremme.