SQLite really slow
Option number one: Is there no possibility to have integer primary key instead of string - it really kills the SELECT performance.
Option number two: How many columns has the table and do you need all of them in your recordset? If you can spare reading and copying of data, you may get better results.
Option number three:Is there no possibility to rewrite the loop to be controlled by the sqlite3_step instead of artificial outer control? Iteration over recordset (with occassional skipping of unused rows) is tons better than reselecting new recordset each time. Saving data into a map suggests that this should be possible.