The economic situation of Nauru is unique in many ways. As a Commonwealth country, the small state receives a great amount of foreign aid. In 2021, the World Bank declared Nauru a high-income country. The GDP growth of the country was 3.3% that year, a large increase compared to previous years. For example, in 2017 the GDP growth was -6.5%. Despite this, poverty in Nauru remains prevalent.

Due to its small size, as the smallest Commonwealth State, the country has a limited supply of natural resources. According to the United Nations, one in four civilians live below the poverty line in the country. Nauru has a shorter life expectancy than all other Pacific Islands, which was 64 years as of 2021. The average life expectancy for the region is 74.2 years, so Nauru falls 10 years below the expected levels.

Nauru once possessed a much more positive economic standing. Due to the phosphate extraction industry, the country’s economy was booming during the 1970s and 1980s. The country’s GDP per capita reflects this. In 1972, it was $2,882. Yet, in 1980, it was $5,489. However, this has ravaged almost 80% of the island’s land. This threatens the county’s agriculture, which experts have predicted will only worsen as temperatures increase.

Food Poverty

During the 2021 United Nations Food System Summit, the U.N. highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated poverty in Nauru. Food security and nutrition remain focal points regarding poverty in Nauru. In 2021, the United Nations noted that Nauru imports more than 90% of its food. However, these goods have low nutritional value, with high levels of fat and salt.

The 2021 United Nations Food System Summit aimed for all Nauru people to reach food security by 2030. The U.N. plans to implement this by improving the agricultural sector of the country. Rehabilitation of Nauruan land will allow for more nutritious food to be grown within the country. Currently, the country relies on imported goods with low nutritional value.

Health Care

As for food nutrition, Nauru has a high obesity rate. The country has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes globally. According to Diabetes.co.uk, roughly 40% of civilians have the condition. The community page also cites that 71% of the Nauruan population is overweight.

According to UNICEF, anemia is also a cause for concern within the country’s health care system. This condition affects 51% of children under 5 years old. This disproportionately affects women, with 51% of pregnant women and 32% of non-pregnant women having the condition.

This links to a wider issue concerning Nauru health care. The Global Health Security Index ranks Nauru in the last out of 16 Oceanic countries. The country’s health care capacity is below average, ranking 93rd out of 195.

Improving Nauru’s Health Care System

However, Australia is funding projects to strengthen Nauru’s health care system through the Nauru Intergenerational Trust Fund. From 2023 to 2024, Australia has a $25.9 million budget to support this scheme. The Australian Government notes: “We invest in Nauru’s health system to strengthen health preparedness through community-based health clinics and targeted technical assistance whilst addressing infectious disease outbreaks and non-communicable diseases (SDG 3).”

However, this aid extends beyond government bodies. For example, Hesperian Health Guides. a nonprofit founded in the U.S. in 1973, tackles poverty in Nauru by helping “all people take greater control over their health and work to eliminate the underlying causes of poor health.” The nonprofit generates educational health resources and it prides itself in translating these in more than 85 languages.

Currently, a clear cause and effect has resulted in poverty in Nauru. Phosphate mining destroyed Nauran agriculture, contributing to food insecurity in the country. Thus, the population relies on non-nutritional, imported goods. This has heightened obesity rates, which in turn has further strained Nauruan health care. However, due to the small state’s status as a Commonwealth country, Naura has received increased humanitarian aid to tackle this domino effect.

– Bethany Brown
Photo: Flickr