FACTS ABOUT POVERTY
IN MADAGASCAR
 
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- Three-quarters of the 17 million people in the Indian Ocean state, the world's fourth largest island, live on less than a dollar a day.
- "Madagascar has the second highest level of malnutrition in Africa - only Ethiopia is worse.” (A quote from Jennifer Overton, the Catholic Relief Services representative to Madagascar)
- "More than 50 percent of Malagasy children are malnourished and therefore not developing." (also quoted from Jennifer Overton) (All information above from October 21 2004 ALLAFRICA.com)
- An estimated 1 million children do not attend school in Madagascar. According to UNICEF, chronic poverty is the main reason for this. Many young people have dropped out of school because they simply cannot afford to attend classes. In some cases, children who are 17 years old are too old to attend formal primary school." UNICEF communication officer Misbah Sheikh told IRIN.
- Although Madagascar has made steady progress in education, one in every five children still do not go to school. (Also quoted from Misbah Sheikh)
- Only 39 out of every 100 pupils complete primary school. Data from the Ministry of Education indicated that only 12 percent of children in rural areas completed primary school, compared to 60 percent in urban areas, Sheik added. (From: “MADAGSCAR: Project Gives School Dropouts Income Generating Skills” IRINews Africa Mon 16 Aug 2004)
· According to a World Bank ranking, Madagascar is the world's ninth-poorest country, where some 70 percent of the population struggles to survive on less than US $1 a day.
· Nearly half the island's 15 million inhabitants are less than 18 years old.
· The grim reality is that almost 100,000 Malagasy children aged under five die each year from preventable diseases, such as malaria, diarrhea and acute respiratory illnesses. Half of the nation's children (and 50 percent of the total population) suffer from stunted growth due to chronic malnutrition. (From “UN cooperation agreement to tackle poverty” on IRIN website, Feb 15, 2005)
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