Cultural Demography
In light of the country's severe difficulties with unemployment and underemployment, the rate of emigration from St. Vincent is high. Historically the population growth rate was very high, but in annual terms it has recently dipped below one percent, largely reflecting ongoing out-migration. The estimated crude birth rate (annual number of births per 1,000 total population), according to the most recent available data, is 16.02 births per 1,000 of the population. Population growth is measured at 0.248 percent.
Most Vincentians -- numbering around 100,000 in total -- are the descendants of African slaves brought to the island to work on plantations. There are also a few descendants of English colonists and others of European descent, as well as some East Indians, indigenous Caribs and a sizable mixed-race minority.
The country's official language is English, but use of a French-based patois is quite prevalent.
In terms of religion, most people are Christians belonging to various Protestant denominations. A minority of Roman Catholics have also been registered within the population base.
Health and Welfare
The country enjoys a fairly high standard of education, with a literacy rate of 96 percent. Although school attendance is not compulsory, it is nearly universal among the relevant age group. There are 65 primary schools and 23 secondary schools. Despite St. Vincent and the Grenadines' apparently impressive educational statistics, only about one-third of the adult population has completed secondary-level education, including a mere 2.4 percent with any form of post-secondary university or technical-school training.
Most health indicators are slightly above the Caribbean regional average. The infant mortality rate is approximately 14.01 deaths per 1,000 live births and the average life expectancy is around 74 years of age, according to recent estimates.
About 6.6 percent of GDP is spent on education in this country; about 5.6 percent of GDP is spent on health expenditures. Access to water and sanitation is regarded as good although there may be some limits in certain rural areas.
Human Development
Another quality-of-life indicator that reflects on St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the Human Development Index (HDI), compiled annually since the early 1990s by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indica tors, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 177 countries, the HDI placed the country in the medium human development category, at 93rd place. The country, however, was omitted from the most recent HDI ranking.
Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.