Expats in Nauru Find that Living Conditions are Not Necessarily Stellar
Nauru, known as the republic of Nauru, is a beautiful, but small, island located in the South Pacific. Having a land mass area of 21 square kilometers, there’s no contest to its status of being the smallest republic in the world. It’s no wonder that it was once called pleasant island as it is encased in a bright coral reef all along its borders, and surrounded by warm, sandy beaches.
Nauru was once one of the most financially prosperous countries in the world. This is because of the rich phosphate that was once strip-mined and sold as fertilizer to Australia. But the land was quickly stripped of its resources, and went into a swift financial decline. In despair, the struggling Nauru first turned to illegal money laundering, Along with this, it sold passports to foreign nationals, among other things. It found some temporary resolution, starting in 2001, when Nauru began providing haven, by allowing Australia to set up a refugee center for illegal Australian immigrants, in return for financial payment. This continued until 2008. Now it survives from the benefits of others, receiving financial aid in order to continue. It cannot provide its own defense and so Australia does this for them.
Should any expat Nauru travel to Nauru, they should first visit Australia, or your bank, and make certain you have enough Australian dollars (Nauru does not have its own currency) because there are no banks there, as they have become insolvent and non-functional. Therefore, while there, you will not be able to make bank transactions or purchase more Australian dollars for your country’s currency. Don’t expect much from Nauru’s health facilities either, as even their own citizens, who receive free healthcare, are sometimes denied due to a shortage of supplies. If you are a male citizen you can expect to live for 61 years, slightly higher for females at 68. This is due to a high rate of obesity, diabetes and other conditions and a lack of sufficient medical care.
The medical care, even of foreigners to Nauru, is substandard and nonexistent. Should there arise any emergency or serious treatment needs, people are typically airlifted from Nauru and brought to a hospital in Australia for medical care. For this reason, It is highly recommended that visitors purchase a comprehensive expat health insurance plan to ensure you receive good medical care. However, as stated, any medical care in Nauru will be substandard to the norm. ( It is also important to remind that it is of the utmost importance that visitors/tourists and anyone intending on staying on Nauru permanently ensure that all of the immunizations are up to date.)
All in all, considering that at least ninety percent of its 9,322 residents are unemployed and the ones who are employed are through the Government, and given the poor economic status and health care availability, Nauru might be a beautiful place, but one would do well to rethink living or visiting unless for a purpose. Before becoming an expat Nauru perhaps you need to think about whether this country would be a right fit for your lifestyle.
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