madagascar

Country Profile

Malawi


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Iodine		Indicators

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General

The Republic of Madagascar, the fourth largest island in the world, is in the western Indian Ocean, about 500km east of Mozambique and southern Africa. The population is around 16.5 million with a steadily increasing growth rate of 2.9%.Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Asian and African origin. This intermixing has resulted in 18 Malagasy tribes of different ethnic make up. About 47% of the population has traditional beliefs which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. A remaining 45% hold Christian beliefs although many incorporate the cult of the dead with their religious beliefs. The remainder are Muslims. Malagasy is the official language while French also is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony. Government acts are published in both Malagasy and French.

The government is a republic with executive, judicial and legislative branches. The president is the chief of staff while the prime minister is the head of state. A cabinet of ministers is appointed by the prime minister and there are three administrative provinces. During 1992-93, free presidential and National Assembly elections were held, ending 17 years of single-party rule. In March1998, Malagasy voters approved a revised constitution.

"“Madagascar faces problems of chronic malnutrition, under funded health and education facilities, a roughly 3% annual population growth rate, and severe loss of forest cover, accompanied by erosion. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for 30% of GDP and contributing more than 70% to export earnings. Industry features textile manufacturing and the processing of agricultural products. Growth in output in 1992-97 averaged less than the growth rate of the population. Growth has been held back by antigovernment strikes and demonstrations, a decline in world coffee prices, and the erratic commitment of the government to economic reform.” (3) Since 1997 reforms and credits from the World Bank and the IMF have boosted the economic annual growth rate to 5.5% which exceeds the population growth rate of 2.9%. Unemployment remains high at 23% but Madagascar has appeal to investors due to its competitive, trainable work force. Over 200 investors, mainly garment manufactures, have entered the country and stimulate growth.

Education

Six years of education is compulsory, usually completed between the ages of six and 13 years of age. Primary education lasts for 5 years and secondary education lasts for a further seven. Primary school enrollment is high at 93% of relevant age group; however, there is a drastic decrease in secondary school enrollment rates. There are both public and private schools, although legislation was passed to enact a gradual elimination of private schools. The average adult illiteracy averaged 54.3% in 1995, with a 28% disparity between males and females.

Health

All medical services in Madagascar are free. The Government provides family allowances as well as benefits for industrial accidents and occupational diseases. A large proportion of welfare services are offered by Christian missions. During 1990-96 only 15% of the population had improved access to sanitation and 29% had improved access to water. The infant mortality rate in 1998 was 92 deaths per 1,000 live births while the maternal mortality rate was 620 deaths per 100,000 live births. Immunization rates for DPT and Measles are 73% and 68% respectively.

Food & Diet

Hurricanes and flooding threaten food security in Madagascar, as well as the dominant agricultural sector. The average caloric consumption in 1999 was approximately 2,000 kcals per day, with 10% attributed to animal sources of food. The main staple is rice accounting for 47% of total daily caloric intake and Cassava accounts for approximately 18%.

In 2000, of the under five population, 13.7% are wasted and 48.6% are stunted. In school children aged 6-14 years there was a 69% prevalence of anemia. There are national policies on iron supplementation for pregnant women and school children but there are no iron fortification programs. The prevalence of Vitamin A deficiency in women was 10.9% and in children 6-59 months it was 2.21%. In Madagascar there are two types of Vitamin A supplementation: the routine supplementation in every public and private health center and the mass campaign organized twice a year. The target populations are children 6-59 months and pregnant women within 8 weeks of delivery. There are no Vitamin A food fortification programs.

Indicators

Population	1991	1995	1999	2002
Total (millions)	11.9	13.3	15.0	16.5
< 5 years	18.1%	18.1%	18.0%	17.9%
5-14 years	27.0%	27.1%	27.0%	27.1%
> 14 years	54.9%	54.8%	55.0%	55.0%
Population Growth Rate	1980-90		1990-99
	2.7		2.9
TFR (Total Fertility Rate)	1980		1998
	6.5		5.7
Under- five Mortality Rate	1980		2000
	175		139
IMR (Infant Mortality Rate)	1980		1998
	119		92
MMR (deaths per 100,000 live births)	1990-98
	620
% Pregnant Women Immunized against Tetanus	1995-96
	33
DPT Immunization (% < 12 mths)	73
Measles Immunization (% < 12mths)	68
*Economic*
GDP (US $ billions)	1980-90		1990-99
	1.1		1.7
GNP per capita at PPP	2000
	765
GNP annual growth rate	1998-99
	5.5
% Below Poverty Line ($1/day)	1993
	60.2
Public Expenditure on Health (% of GDP)	1990-1998
	1.1
Public Expenditure on Education (% of GDP)	1980		1997
	4.4		1.9
*Education*	1980	1985	1990	1999
Literacy pop. over 15
Females	38	44	50	59
Males	57	62	66	73
Gross Primary School Enrollment (% of age group)
Females	129	(NA)	103	92
Males	131	(NA)	103	94
Gross Secondary School Enrollment (% of age group)
Females	(NA)	(NA)	18	16
Males	(NA)	(NA)	18	16
*Health and Nutrition*
% of Births Attended	1985		1999
	62		47
% Pop. Access Improved Sanitation	1982-85		1990-96
	(NA)		15
% Pop. Access Improved Water	31		29
% Pop. living with HIV/AIDS, (age 15 -49)	1999
	0.15
Weight/Age (% less than –2 z-score)	2000
	13.7
Height/Age (% less than –2 z-score)	48.6
Median Duration Breastfeeding	1997
	20.9
Food and Dietary Indices	1980	1990	1995	1999
Total Calories Consumed (kcals/day)	2,369	2,139	2,021	2,002
Animal Sources of food (kcals/day)	10.4%	10.7%	10.6%	10.0%

Sources

1. http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idbpyr.html

2. http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/wdrpoverty/report/

3. http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html

4. http://www.measuredhs.com/data/indicators

5. http://apps.fao.org/page/collections?subset=nutrition

6. http://genderstats.worldbank.org

7. http://www.undp.org/hdr2002/indicator/

8. http://www.state.gov

9. http://www.childinfo.org/

10. Europa World Year Book 2001, 42nd edition, 2nd volume

Population

GNP per capita at PPP

Sources