LANGUAGE: English (official)
The lingua francais a Melanesian-English Pidgin; Hiri Motu is also widely spoken on the Papua coast.
There are more than 700 languages altogether.
POPULATION:
Total: 4,056,000 (1992)
Annual growth: 2.3% (1985-90)
Doubling time: 30 yrs.
Urban: 16% (1990) (est. for year 2000: 20%)
Rural: 84%
AGE GROUPS (1990):
15% under 5 yrs.
27% under 15
52% under 20
29% from 20 to 39
14% from 40 to 59
5% 60 yrs. and over
ETHNIC GROUPS
More than 700 ethnie groups, often divided into two broad categories: Papuan, those in the interior and western part of the island of New Guinea; and Melanesian, those in coas ta! and island areas.
FAMILY
Persons per household: 4.5 (1980)
Marital status, for females 15 yrs.+ (1980)
Single: 38%
Married: 56%
Other: 2%
Female head of household: no data
Fertility rate: 5.0 (1991)
Teenage births: no data
Births out of wedlock: no data
Contraception: 4% (1980-92)
HOUSING
Electricity: Urban: 34% without (1984); rural: no data
Access to safe water: 34% (urban: 93%; rural: 23%) (1988-90)
Source of water: Mostly wells, rainwater and streams in rural areas
Toilet facilities: (1983)
Adequate sanitary facilities: urban: 51%; rural: 3.4%
Construction materials: Bush materials
SOCIAL INDICATORS
Life expectancy: 55 yrs. (male: 54; female: 56) (1991)
Infant mortality: 55/1,000 live births (1991)
Crude birth rate: 34/1,000 pop. (1991)
Crude death rate: 11/1,000 pop. (1991)
Health
Access to health services: 96% (1985-88)
Births attended by trained health personnel: 20% (1983-91)
Maternal mortality rate: 900/100,000 live births (1980-90)
Population per physician: 6,070 (1984-89)
Children (under 1 year) irnmunised against DPT: 53% (1990-91)
EDUCATION
Literacy: 52% (male: 65%; female: 38%) (1990)
Gross enrollment ratio (1990)
First leve!: 71% (completing in 1985-88: 61 %)
Second: 12%
Third: no data
Educational attainment for pop. 25+ (1980)
None: 83%
First level: entered: 8%; completed: 5%
Second: 4%
Third: no data
Educational attainment, for population 25 yrs. + : (1973)
None: 94%
First leve!: 38%
Second: entered: 5%
Third: 1%
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
Economically active population: 70%
(male: 36%; female: 33%) (1980)
Agriculture: 56% act. pop.; 25% of GDP
Mines: 7% act. pop.; 25% of GDP
Industry: 15% act. pop.; 15% of GDP
Services: 22% act. pop.; 15% of GDP
Per capita GNP: US$824 (1991)
Population in absolute poverty: urban: 10%; rural: 75%
(1980-89)
National currency: kina
Principal resources: Gold, copper, silver, coffee, cocoa,
cocon ut
