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A Few Facts About Africa
In the whole of Africa:
Over 12,000,000 adults have died of AIDS and
13,200,000 children have been orphaned. It is estimated that the African economy loses more than $12 billion
USD a year because of malaria. Wood and other biomass generate 90 to 98% of household energy in
most African countries. About 65% of Africa's agricultural land suffers from soil
degradation. Africa has the highest deforestation rate in the world, and lost 13
million acres (5.3m hectares) of forest each year in the 1990s. Almost half of all Africans live on less than $1 (USD) a day --- the
number of people living in poverty grew from 220,000,000 in
1990 to 300,000,000 in 1998. Africa's share of world trade fell from 2.7% in 1990 to 2.1% in 2000.
A 1% increase in Africa's share of world trade would generate five times
more than the continent receives in aid and debt relief. Over the last decade, Africa's annual percentage growth rate for
exports was 3.8%, as compared to a world average growth rate of 6%. The consumption expenditure for the average African household is 20%
less than it was 25 years ago.
In Sub-Saharan Africa:
About a third of the population is
undernourished. Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest proportion of people
living in poverty, about 48%. Estimated 24,500,000
people are living with HIV/AIDS. It has almost 90% of the world's fatal
Malaria cases. About 30% of children die or are disabled due
to acute respiratory infections -- 60% are caused by air pollution. Fewer than one in five people
have electrical power. Over 500,000,000 people
depend on firewood as basic fuel, leading to deforestation and soil
erosion.
Other Statistics:
The population of Africa is expected to reach 1.3 billion in 2025.
The countries with the largest populations are Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, the
Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africa. Roughly 45% of Africans are
under the age of 15. An estimated 2,000 languages and dialects are spoken in Africa, some
by a few million people, others by only a few thousand. Christianity is growing in a very large number of African countries.
At present, there are more than 325 million Christians in Africa, including
123 million Catholics. Islam is the second most widespread religion in
Africa, with more than 300 million Muslims. Traditional religion -- also
sometimes called Animism -- is still practiced by more than 15% of
Africans.
To learn more about individual countries in Africa, their on-going hardships,
and what Missionaries of Africa are doing to help, please proceed to the Visual Project Viewer.
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