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Tuvalu

2016 Edition — sovereign

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Communications
Broadcast media [time series]
no TV stations; many households use satellite dishes to watch foreign TV stations; 1 government-owned radio station, Radio Tuvalu, includes relays of programming from international broadcasters (2009)
Internet country code [time series]
.tv
Internet users [time series]
total: 5,000 | percent of population: 42.7% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 206
Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal communications | domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands | international: country code - 688; international calls can be made by satellite (2015)
Telephones - fixed lines [time series]
total subscriptions: 2,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 18 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 215
Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]
total: 4,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 37 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 217
Economy
Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]
coconuts; fish
Budget [time series]
revenues: $42.68 million | expenditures: $32.46 million (2012 est.)
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) [time series]
31% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2
Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]
10.6% (31 December 2013 est.) | 10.6% (31 December 2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74
Current account balance [time series]
-$9 million (2015 est.) | -$10 million (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54
Debt - external [time series]
$NA
Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. Only eight of the atolls are inhabited. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, with its highest point at 4.6 meters above sea level. The country is isolated, almost entirely dependent on imports, particularly of food and fuel, and vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels, which pose significant challenges to development. | The public sector dominates economic activity. Tuvalu has few natural resources, except for its fisheries. Earnings from fish exports and fishing licenses for Tuvalu’s territorial waters are a significant source of government revenue. In 2013, revenue from fishing licenses doubled and totaled more than 45% of GDP. | Official aid from foreign development partners has also increased. Tuvalu has substantial assets abroad. The Tuvalu Trust Fund, an international trust fund established in 1987 by development partners, has grown to $141 million in 2013 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. While remittances are another substantial source of income, the value of remittances has declined since the 2008-2009 global financial crisis. Growing income inequality is one of many concerns for the nation.
Exchange rates [time series]
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per US dollar - | 1.3291 (2015 est.) | 1.67 (2014 est.) | 1.1094 (2013 est.) | 0.97 (2012 est.) | 0.9695 (2011 est.)
Exports [time series]
$600,000 (2010 est.) | $1 million (2004 est.) | country comparison to the world: 221
Exports - commodities [time series]
copra, fish
Fiscal year [time series]
calendar year
GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]
$33 million (2015 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]
$37 million (2015 est.) | $36.05 million (2014 est.) | $35.26 million (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 227
GDP - composition, by sector of origin [time series]
agriculture: 24.5% | industry: 5.6% | services: 70% (2012 est.)
Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]
$3,400 (2015 est.) | $3,300 (2014 est.) | $3,200 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 182
Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]
2.6% (2015 est.) | 2.2% (2014 est.) | 1.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 116
Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]
lowest 10%: NA% | highest 10%: NA%
Imports [time series]
$136.5 million (2013 est.) | $238.6 million (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 212
Imports - commodities [time series]
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Industrial production growth rate [time series]
-26.1% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 200
Industries [time series]
fishing
Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]
3.3% (2015 est.) | 1.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 143
Labor force [time series]
3,615 (2004 est.) | country comparison to the world: 222
Labor force - by occupation [time series]
note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and through overseas remittances (mostly from workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)
Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]
$0 (2014) | country comparison to the world: 122
Population below poverty line [time series]
26.3% (2010 est.)
Public debt [time series]
41.1% of GDP (2013 est.) | 43.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 111
Taxes and other revenues [time series]
129.3% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 2
Unemployment rate [time series]
NA%
Energy
Crude oil - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 199
Crude oil - imports [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 137
Crude oil - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014) | country comparison to the world: 200
Crude oil - proved reserves [time series]
0 bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 202
Electricity - exports [time series]
0 kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207
Electricity - from fossil fuels [time series]
96% of total installed capacity (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2014) | country comparison to the world: 208
Electricity - from nuclear fuels [time series]
0% of total installed capacity (2014) | country comparison to the world: 195
Electricity - imports [time series]
0 kWh (2014) | country comparison to the world: 211
Electricity - installed generating capacity [time series]
5,100 kW (2011) | country comparison to the world: 211
Electricity - production [time series]
11.8 million kWh (2011) | country comparison to the world: 216
Electricity access [time series]
population without electricity: 6,137 | electrification - total population: 45% | electrification - urban areas: 57% | electrification - rural areas: 32% (2012)
Natural gas - consumption [time series]
0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 203
Natural gas - exports [time series]
0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 197
Natural gas - imports [time series]
0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - production [time series]
0 cu m (2014) | country comparison to the world: 139
Refined petroleum products - exports [time series]
0 bbl/day | country comparison to the world: 140
Refined petroleum products - production [time series]
0 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 139
Geography
Area [time series]
total: 26 sq km | land: 26 sq km | water: 0 sq km | country comparison to the world: 238
Area - comparative [time series]
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Climate [time series]
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Coastline [time series]
24 km
Elevation [time series]
mean elevation: NA | elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m | highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Environment - current issues [time series]
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities; beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from increasing ocean temperatures and acidification; Tuvalu is concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary
International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling | signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geographic coordinates [time series]
8 00 S, 178 00 E
Geography - note [time series]
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon
Irrigated land [time series]
0 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries [time series]
0 km
Land use [time series]
agricultural land: 60% | arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; permanent pasture 0% | forest: 33.3% | other: 6.7% (2011 est.)
Location [time series]
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way from Hawaii to Australia
Map references [time series]
Oceania
Maritime claims [time series]
territorial sea: 12 nm | contiguous zone: 24 nm | exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Natural hazards [time series]
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were three cyclones; low levels of islands make them sensitive to changes in sea level
Natural resources [time series]
fish, coconut (copra)
Terrain [time series]
low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Government
Administrative divisions [time series]
7 island councils and 1 town council*; Funafuti*, Nanumaga, Nanumea, Niutao, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae, Vaitupu
Capital [time series]
name: Funafuti; note - the capital is an atoll of some 29 islets; administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet | geographic coordinates: 8 31 S, 179 13 E | time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Citizenship [time series]
citizenship by birth: yes | citizenship by descent: yes; for a child born abroad, at least one parent must be a citizen of Tuvalu | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: na
Constitution [time series]
previous 1978 (at independence); latest effective 1 October 1986; amended 2007, 2010, 2013 (2016)
Country name [time series]
conventional long form: none | conventional short form: Tuvalu | local long form: none | local short form: Tuvalu | former: Ellice Islands | note: "tuvalu" means "group of eight" referring to the country's eight traditionally inhabited islands
Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]
chief of mission: Ambassador Aunese Makoi SIMATI (since 11 January 2013) | chancery: note - Tuvalu does not have an embassy in Washington, D.C.; UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017 | telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534 | FAX: [1] (212) 937-0692
Executive branch [time series]
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Iakoba TAEIA Italeli (since 16 April 2010) | head of government: Prime Minister Enele SOPOAGA (since 5 August 2013) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on recommendation of the prime minister | elections/appointments: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from members of House of Assembly following parliamentary elections | election results: Enele SOPOAGA elected prime minister by House of Assembly; House of Assembly vote count on 4 August 2013 - 8 to 5; note - Willie TELAVI removed as prime minister by the governor general on 1 August 2013
Flag (Flag description) [time series]
light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow, five-pointed stars on a blue field symbolizing the nine atolls in the ocean
Government type [time series]
parliamentary democracy (House of Assembly) under a constitutional monarchy; a Commonwealth realm
Independence [time series]
1 October 1978 (from the UK)
International law organization participation [time series]
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
International organization participation [time series]
ACP, ADB, AOSIS, C, FAO, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS (observer), ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Judicial branch [time series]
highest court(s): Court of Appeal is the Fiji Court of Appeal on Fiji Island (consists of the chief justice who visits twice a year); High Court, located on Fiji, consists of the chief justice of Fiji who presides over its sessions | judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the president of Fiji on the advice of the prime minister following consultation with the parliamentary leader of the opposition; justices of the Court of Appeal and puisne judges of the High Court are appointed by the president of Fiji, upon the nomination of the Judicial Service Commission, after consulting with the Cabinet Minister and the committee of the House of Representatives responsible for the administration of justice; the chief justice and justices of Appeal generally required to retire at age 70; puisine judges appointed for not less than 4 years nor more than 7 years with mandatory retirement at age 65 | subordinate courts: magistrates' courts; island courts; lands courts
Legal system [time series]
mixed legal system of English common law and local customary law
Legislative branch [time series]
description: unicameral House of Assembly or Fale I Fono (15 seats; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 4-year terms) | elections: last held on 31 March 2015 (next to be held in 2019) | election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independent 15; 12 members reelected
National anthem(s) (National anthem) [time series]
name: "Tuvalu mo te Atua" (Tuvalu for the Almighty) | lyrics/music: Afaese MANOA | note: adopted 1978; the anthem's name is also the nation's motto
National holiday [time series]
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
National symbol(s) [time series]
maneapa (native meeting house); national colors: light blue, yellow
Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]
there are no political parties but members of parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings
Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]
none
Suffrage [time series]
18 years of age; universal
Introduction
Background [time series]
In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period. The agreement was subsequently renegotiated but details were not disclosed.
Military and Security
Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]
no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2012)
People and Society
Age structure [time series]
0-14 years: 29.32% (male 1,647/female 1,566) | 15-24 years: 19.76% (male 1,132/female 1,033) | 25-54 years: 36.5% (male 1,989/female 2,011) | 55-64 years: 8.66% (male 387/female 562) | 65 years and over: 5.77% (male 255/female 377) (2016 est.)
Birth rate [time series]
23.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64
Children under the age of 5 years underweight [time series]
1.6% (2007) | country comparison to the world: 126
Contraceptive prevalence rate [time series]
30.5% (2007)
Death rate [time series]
8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 77
Drinking water source [time series]
urban: 98.3% of population | rural: 97% of population | total: 97.7% of population | urban: 1.7% of population | rural: 3% of population | total: 2.3% of population (2015 est.)
Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]
NA
Ethnic groups [time series]
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]
NA
Health expenditure (Health expenditures) [time series]
16.5% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 4
Infant mortality rate [time series]
total: 29.9 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 32.5 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 27.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65
Languages [time series]
Tuvaluan (official), English (official), Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Life expectancy at birth [time series]
total population: 66.5 years | male: 64.3 years | female: 68.8 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 173
Major urban areas - population [time series]
FUNAFUTI (capital) 6,000 (2014)
Median age [time series]
total: 25.5 years | male: 24.4 years | female: 26.8 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152
Mother's mean age at first birth [time series]
23.5 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2007 est.)
Nationality [time series]
noun: Tuvaluan(s) | adjective: Tuvaluan
Net migration rate [time series]
-6.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 205
Obesity - adult prevalence rate [time series]
39.6% (2014)
Physician density (Physicians density) [time series]
1.09 physicians/1,000 population (2009)
Population [time series]
10,959 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 223
Population growth rate [time series]
0.85% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128
Religions [time series]
Protestant 98.4% (Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%), Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Sanitation facility access [time series]
urban: 86.3% of population | rural: 80.2% of population | total: 83.3% of population | urban: 13.7% of population | rural: 19.8% of population | total: 16.7% of population (2012 est.)
Sex ratio [time series]
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.1 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 0.69 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female | total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2016 est.)
Total fertility rate [time series]
2.98 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57
Urbanization [time series]
urban population: 59.7% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international [time series]
none
Transportation
Airports [time series]
1 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 235
Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]
total: 1 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2013)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix [time series]
T2 (2016)
Merchant marine [time series]
total: 58 | by type: bulk carrier 4, cargo 24, chemical tanker 15, container 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 1 | foreign-owned: 33 (China 4, Indonesia 1, Maldives 1, Singapore 19, South Korea 1, Turkey 1, Vietnam 6) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 67
Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]
major seaport(s): Funafuti
Roadways [time series]
total: 8 km | paved: 8 km (2011) | country comparison to the world: 223