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SOLOMON ISLANDS GOVERNMENT COUNTRY REPORT 5TH ASIAN AND PACIFIC POPULATION CONFERENCE BANGKOK, THAILAND 11TH – 17TH DECEMBER 2002 Prepared by: Ministry of National Planning and Human Resources Development Population Unit Honiara Solomon Islands PAPER PREPARED FOR THE 5TH ASIAN AND PACIFIC POPULATION CONFERENCE, BANGKOK, 11-17 DECEMBER 2002 Introduction Solomon Islands is an archipelago, consisting of a double chain of six large islands and many small islands with a total land area of 28,370 sq km and an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of about 1.3 million sq km of the South Pacific Ocean. The six main islands account for approximately 80 per cent of the total land area and population. With approximately 80 per cent of the total land area covered with tropical rainforest, human settlement has concentrated along the coast. Most of the population live in the rural area and are engaged in subsistence activities. The population of Solomon Islands in 1986 was 314,000, with more than half of it below the age of 15, and an annual growth rate of 3.4 per cent. It was expected that at this rate, the population of Solomon Islands will double in year 2012, and that there will be heavy implications on the provision of basic social services and will give rise to demand for employment especially in urban areas as development within the country is not decentralized. In 1999, the Solomon Islands conducted a census with support from the EU. Apart from the findings of the 1999 Census, there is very little reliable information available from other sources such as service statistics from sectoral ministries. The demographic profile of the country presented in this paper is to a large extent based on the available results of the 1999 Census information and that of previous censuses. However, much information has already become available in the last few months about the changed demographic situation and trends in the country. The information us