Mali

THE REPUBLIC OF MALI ranks as one of the three poorest nations in the world, with a poverty rate of 63.8 percent, and one-fourth of the population suffering from malnutrition. Malians survive on an average annual income of $230, with 90.6 percent of the population living on less than $2 a day and 72.8 percent living on less than $1 a day. The Malian population is subject to vast inequalities, with the poorest 20 percent sharing 4.6 percent of the country's income and the richest 20 percent holding 56.2 percent. Mali ranks 50.5 on the Gini Index of Human Inequality.

Approximately 80 percent of Mali's labor force are involved in agriculture and fishing, which are centered in the riverine area irrigated by the Niger River. Recurring droughts and flooding frequently exacerbate existing economic problems. Mali's chief exports are cotton and gold; however, Mali is seriously underdeveloped. Deposits of bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper have been identified but never exploited. Some 65 percent of Mali's land is classified as desert or semidesert.

Approximately 70 percent of the population reside in rural regions, where unemployment is 5.3 percent. Unemployment is almost three times that amount in urban areas, where the remaining 30 percent of the population live. Mali's economic prospects have improved somewhat since officials adapted the International Monetary Fund's guidelines for growing and diversifying [Page 673]its economy, but the country is still economically fragile.

Mali's population of 12,291,529 has a life expectancy of 45.09 years and a median age of 16.35 years. Nearly half of the population is under the age of 14 and only three percent are over 65. Malians have a 35.3 percent of dying before the age of 40. With an HIV/AIDS prevalence rate of 1.9 percent and 140,000 Malians living with this disease, the government has been forced to direct both resources and attention to dealing with the epidemic. The 12,000 AIDS-related deaths were responsible for increasing the Malian death rate to 19.05 deaths per 1,000 in 2005.

In 1991, Mali recorded 16,024 incidences of Guinea worm disease, a debilitating condition caused by contact with infected water. After several years of working with representatives from Emory University's Carter Center through the Mali Guinea Worm Eradication Program, the incidence rate decreased to 829 in 2003. The Carter Center also works with locals to educate the public about trachoma, which is the second most prevalent cause of blindness in Mali. Trachoma is a bacterial conjunctivitis that affects 35 percent of all Malian children under the age of 10, but is not limited to children. Malians are also at high risk for contracting foodand waterborne diseases as well as those caused by contact with infected materials. Infections are common because 35 percent of Malians lack access to safe water and 31 percent lack access to adequate sanitation.

The Malian infant mortality rate of 116.79 deaths per 1,000 live births illustrates the dangers that confront children, particularly those under the age of 5 who face a mortality rate of 220 deaths per 1,000. These deaths are generally due to poverty and preventable diseases.

...