Armenia

The health of Armenia's population of 2,976,372 has suffered greatly from the long conflict with Azerbaijani Muslims over the contested area of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict has drained resources from the economy that might have been used to solve health and social problems. Resources have been further restricted by neighboring Turkey's economic blockade and border closing that followed Armenia's seizure of the contested area and further encroachment into Azerbaijani territory. Government corruption also interferes with efforts to improve the health and economic status of Armenians.

Some 45 percent of Armenians are involved in the agricultural sector, and the economy is heavily dependent on international aid and regular remittances from Armenians who work abroad. Armenia's population is highly literate (98.6 percent), and 97 percent of all children are enrolled in primary schools. At the secondary level, 66 percent of males and 71 percent of females regularly attend school. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ranks Armenia 80th of 177 countries on overall quality-of-life issues.

With a per capita income of $4,800, Armenia is ranked 133rd of 233 nations in world income. Distribution of income continues to be unequal, with the highest 10 percent of the population sharing 41.3 percent of the country's resources and the lowest 10 percent claiming only 1.6 percent. Armenia has an unemployment rate of 31.6 percent, and 43 percent of the population lives in poverty. Around 13 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day. The Armenian government spends 6 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health and provides $302 (international dollars) per capita for health costs. Some 80 percent of all health expenditures derive from private sources, and 80.60 percent of private expenditures are out of pocket. Social security provides no safety net for vulnerable segments of the population. There are 3.50 physicians, 4.35 nurses, 0.47 midwives, 0.26 dentists, and 0.04 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Armenia.

Armenians have a projected life expectancy of 71.84 years and a death rate of 8.23 deaths/1,000 population. Only 1 percent of Armenia's urban population lacks sustained access to safe drinking water, but 20 percent of rural households are not provided with this necessary resource. Among urban residents, 4 percent lack access to improved sanitation, and this number rises to 39 percent in rural areas. Both the health and economy of Armenians are adversely affected by occasionally severe earthquakes [Page 159]and droughts. Toxic chemicals such as DDT in the soil further threaten public health.

Armenia's fertility rate is 1.33 children per woman, a reduction from 3.2 in 1970 and 2.5 in 1990. Approximately 61 percent of Armenian women use birth control. Only 3 percent of births occur outside the presence of a skilled attendant, and 92 percent of all women receive prenatal care. Maternal death occurs at a rate of 55 per 100,000 births. Improvements in reproductive issues are largely in response to the efforts of the United Nations and World Health Organization, who have worked with Armenian nongovernmental organizations to establish family planning clinics and programs.

Between 1990 and the present, Armenia made great strides in childhood health, reducing infant mortality from 52 deaths to 22.47 deaths per 1,000 live births and under-5 mortality from 60 to 32. The rate of low birth weight infants has been reduced to 7 percent, and only 3 percent of children under 5 are moderately underweight. Only 2 percent of Armenian under-5s suffer from wasting diseases, but 13 percent of this age group experience growth stunting.

...