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Information On Niger

The Republic of Niger

The Republic of Niger, with a GNI per capita of US$170, is ranked the poorest country in the world by the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Index. Niger is a landlocked sub-Saharan nation, bordering the following countries: Mali and Burkina Faso in the West, Benin and Nigeria in the South, Algeria and Lybia in the north, and Chad in the East. 82% of the population lives in rural zones and survives off of agricultural and livestock production, despite the fact that only 12% of Niger’s total surface area is arable, almost all of which lies in the southern corridor bordering Nigeria only 100 to 150 km wide. This resource base is declining because of rapid population growth, migration to the South from the North, and recurring drought.

Niger’s economy is based primarily on subsistence crops, livestock exports, and uranium. The country’s economy has been dramatically hurt by desertification, persistent drought, a low world demand in uranium, and a high growth rate (2.9%). Due to these reasons, Niger cannot provide enough food for its population and must rely on exterior aid to feed its people. For this reason, food shortage and high mortality rates due to starvation are common, such as was the case during the "food crisis" of 2005 caused primarily by drought and locust attacks on crops.

Niger’s social indicators are among the lowest in the world. Life expectancy at birth is only 47 years. Niger has one of the world’s highest infant mortality rates (134.5 per 1,000 live births, and increases to 142 per 1,000 live births in rural areas), and the world’s highest child mortality rate (248 per 1,000) where one child out of four is expected to die before reaching age five. Of the remaining children, over 50% suffer from diseases and physical conditions related to malnourishment. Despite this, Niger has one of the highest population growth rates in the world — 3.3.% a year — and the highest fertility rate in the world (7.2 births per woman). 49% of Niger’s total population is under 15 years of age. Between 1996 and 2003, primary school attendance was approximately 30%, and lower in rural areas. Only 36% of the male population and only 25% of the female population attends school.

Although 99% of the Nigerien population is Muslim, it is ethnically diverse. The country is primarily populated by the Hausa in the South, Arabs, Fulanis, and Tuaregs in the North, and Zarmas in the West. The Hausa and Zarma have historically relied on agriculture for revenue and livelihood, whereas pastoralism has traditionally been taken up by the Arabs, Fulanis and Tuaregs.

The Azawak, "The Land of Plains"

A vast valley on the edge of the Sahara ranging over 200 km2, the Azawak is one of the poorest regions of Niger, itself the poorest nation in the world. The Azawak population of approximately 500,000 — composed primarily of the nomadic and sedentary Tuaregs and the pastoral Woodabe Fulani ethnic groups — is therefore among the most abandoned on Earth. Living on the brink of survival, the inhabitants walk up to thirty miles a day for water and largely because of this their families are forced to live very unhealthy lives. They are nomadic herders in a land where being a nomad is considered a defect. Despite the dire living conditions, few projects or governmental agencies currently intervene in the area. In the rural areas — ninety-nine percent of the Azawak — there are no roads, no schools, and no health centers.

Background on Niger

The 2005 Food Crisis and the international response