Marshall Islands - Poverty and wealth

The are no figures on the numbers below the dollar-a-day poverty line, but given the income level and the structure of the economy, perhaps 20 percent of Marshallese might live poverty. Most of those affected will be among the 30 percent of the population living on the atolls other than Majuro and Kwajalein, relying on small-scale agriculture and fishing for their livelihoods.

Life expectancy (at 65 years in 2000) is considered high, and the level of adult literacy, last surveyed in 1980, was 93 percent. Together with its lower-middle

Exchange rates: Marshall Islands
US$
Jan 2001	1.0000
2000	1.0000
1999	1.0000
1998	1.0000
1997	1.0000
1996	1.0000
Note: US currency is used in the Marshall Islands.
SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2001 [ONLINE].

GDP per Capita (US$)
Country	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Marshall Islands	1,680	N/A	1,450	1,670	N/A
United States	28,600	30,200	31,500	33,900	36,200
Philippines	2,600	3,200	3,500	3,600	3,800
Solomon Islands	3,000	3,000	2,600	2,650	2,000
Note: Data are estimates.
SOURCE: Handbook of the Nations , 17th,18th, 19th and 20th editions for 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 data; CIA World Factbook 2001 [Online] for 2000 data.

income status, the Marshall Islands has a medium level of human development when evaluated by the criteria used by the UN. Infant mortality is high, however, at 41 per 1,000 births in 2000 (in the United States the rate is 6 per 1,000).