Mauritania

IN THE REPUBLIC OF Mauritania, located in northern Africa, 46.3 percent of the population live in poverty and one-fifth are unemployed. Mauritanians live on an average annual income of only $280, with 63.1 percent living on less than $2 a day and 25.9 percent living on less than $1 a day. Mauritania's wealth is unevenly divided, with the poorest 20 percent claiming only 7.3 percent of the country's income, while the richest 20 percent share 39 percent. Mauritania is ranked 39 on the Gini Index of Human Inequality.

Mauritania's dependence on agriculture, which employs 50 percent of the labor force, has resulted in overgrazing. Problems are compounded by the scarcity of natural freshwater resources except around the Senegal River. Water resources are further threatened by periodic droughts and crops are at risk from locust infestations. The proceeds from Mauritania's large iron ore deposits make up almost 40 percent of the country's exports; however, this market has recently declined in response to declining demands.

The coastal waters of Mauritania are considered to be among the richest in the world, but this valuable asset has proved vulnerable to foreign exploitation. A history of government mismanagement was in large part responsible for huge foreign debts that led to Mauritania's inclusion in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) program in 2000. Prospects for combating poverty in the coming years have improved with the discovery of offshore oil wells in 2001, but until they are operational the effects of poverty are devastating.

With a life expectancy of 52.73 years and a median age of 16.98, Mauritania is a young country. Approximately 46 percent of the population are under the age of 14, and some two percent reach the age of 65. Mauritanians have a 30.5 percent chance of dying before they turn 40. While Mauritania's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate is relatively low for sub-Saharan Africa (0.6 percent), 9,500 Mauritanians were living with the disease in 2003 and another 500 had died. The population is also susceptible to the foodand waterborne diseases, chiefly because 63 percent lack access to safe water and 67 percent lack access to adequate sanitation. Some locations experience malaria and Rift Valley fever, and respiratory diseases are common.

Before the Carter Center of Emory University became involved in Mauritania in 1995, Guinea worm disease, which is spread through contact with infected water, was endemic in 221 villages. By 2003 only 13 cases were reported among nine locations. Even preventable diseases take the lives of many Mauritanians because they lack access to adequate healthcare and lifesaving drugs.

The infant mortality rate for Mauritanian infants was estimated at 70.89 per 1,000 live births in 2005. This is a significant improvement since 1970, when the rate was 150 deaths per 1,000. Mortality rates for children under the age of 5 have also decreased drastically, declining from 250 in 1970 to 107 in 2003. Even so, childhood mortality rates remain unacceptably high. Approximately one-third of all Mauritanian children are underweight, and 10 percent are severely malnourished. Approximately 35 percent of children under 5 suffer from moderate to severe stunting, and 13 percent suffer from moderate to severe wasting.

...