Madagascar

THE ISLAND OF Madagascar, located near southern Africa in the Indian Ocean, is one of the poorest countries in the world. Some 71.3 percent of the people live in poverty, with 83.3 percent living on less than $2 a day, and 49.1 percent living on less than $1 a day. In this land of inequality, the poorest 10 percent of the population share 1.9 percent of the island's wealth, while the richest 10 percent share 36.6 percent. The country ranks 47.5 on the Gini Index of Human Inequality.

Madagascar has experienced political stability since regaining independence from France in 1960, except for a contested presidential election in 2001 that threatened civil war. The following year, the controversy was settled without bloodshed by a decision of the High Constitutional Court. Since the mid-1990s, Madagascar has moved away from a socialist economy by privatizing and liberalizing its economy along the guidelines established by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Agriculture, which includes fishing and forestry, dominates the economy, employing 80 percent of the population. The island is subject to cyclones, drought, and locust infestations that wreak havoc with agricultural profits. Despite some setbacks, the island's economy has shown slow but steady growth in recent years, partly because of duty-free apparel exports to the United States. The government has announced twin goals of growing the economy and reducing poverty over the next few years. This task may be made easier if the Group of 8 (G-8) adopts a proposal designed to mitigate the plight of the 18 poorest countries, including Madagascar, by setting aside funds to be used for social programs and debt relief.

With a life expectancy of 56.95 years and a median age of 17.46 years, Madagascar has a young population. Some 44.8 percent of the island's 18,040,341 residents are under the age of 14, and only three percent have reached the age of 65. The people have only a 29 percent chance of living until the age of 40. Madagascar has not been untouched by the HIV/AIDS epidemic that continues to ravage much of sub-Saharan Africa; however the 1.7 percent prevalence rate is comparably low. In 2003 approximately 140 people were living with [Page 666]this disease, which was responsible for the deaths of at least 7,500 others.

Residents of the island are prone to the same infectious diseases that are common among other African nations: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, schistosomiasis, malaria, and plague. Because over half the population lacks access to a sustainable improved water source and 58 percent lack access to proper sanitation, general health is poor. The Malagasy are at very high risk for foodand waterborne diseases as well as for those resulting from contact with infectious materials. Between 50 and 79 percent of the people have access to affordable life-saving drugs, but there are only nine physicians per 100,000 people on the island.

Infants experience a total mortality rate of 76.83 deaths per 1,000 live births. Female infants are hardier, with 68.36 deaths per thousand as compared to male infants with a rate of 85.05. Between 1990 and 2003, infant mortality dropped from 103 to 78 per 1,000 live births. During this same period, the mortality rates of children under the age of 5 decreased from 168 to 126 per 1,000. While these decreases are encouraging, the United Nations UNICEF reports that nearly 100,000 children under the age of 5 die each year from preventable causes that include malaria, diarrhea, and acute respiratory illnesses. Less than one-third of ailing children receive the oral rehydration therapy that can save lives in many circumstances.

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