| Niger |
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| Background: Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999 BARE was killed in a coup by military officers who promptly restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. |
| Geography and Environmental |
Capital: name: Niamey
geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Area Total: 1.267 million sq km |
| Area Land: 1,266,700 sq km |
| Area Water: 300 sq km |
| Area Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas |
| Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) |
| Climate: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south |
| Terrain: predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north |
| Elevation Extremes Lowest Point: Niger River 200 m |
| Elevation Extremes Highest Point: Mont Bagzane 2,022 m |
| Natural Resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum |
| Land Use Arable Land: 11.43% |
| Land Use Permanent Crops: 0.01% |
| Land Use Other: 88.56% (2005) |
| Irrigated Land: 730 sq km (2003) |
| Natural Hazards: recurring droughts |
| Environment Current Issues: overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction |
| Geography Note: landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture |
| Population |
| Population: 12,894,865 (July 2007 est.) |
| Age Structure 0 to 14 Years: 46.9% (male 3,083,871/female 2,969,201) |
| Age Structure 15 to 64 Years: 50.6% (male 3,354,783/female 3,174,039) |
| Age Structure 65 Years And Over: 2.4% (male 155,430/female 157,541) (2007 est.) |
| Median Age Total: 16.5 years |
| Median Age Male: 16.5 years |
| Median Age Female: 16.4 years (2007 est.) |
| Population Growth Rate: 2.898% (2007 est.) |
| Birth Rate: 50.16 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Death Rate: 20.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
| Sex Ratio At Birth: 1.03 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Under 15 Years: 1.039 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 15 to 64 Years: 1.057 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio 65 Years And Over: 0.987 male(s)/female |
| Sex Ratio Total Population: 1.047 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate Total: 116.83 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Male: 120.78 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Infant Mortality Rate Female: 112.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
| Life Expectancy At BirthTotalPopulation: 44.03 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Male: 44.05 years |
| Life Expectancy At Birth Female: 44 years (2007 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate: 7.37 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Adult Prevalence Rate: 1.2% (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS People Living With HIV AIDS: 70,000 (2003 est.) |
| HIV AIDS Deaths: 4,800 (2003 est.) |
| Religions: Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20% |
| Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma |
| Literacy Definition: age 15 and over can read and write |
| Literacy Total Population: 17.6% |
| Literacy Male: 25.8% |
| Literacy Female: 9.7% (2003 est.) |
| Administrative Divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular - region) includes 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder |
| Legal System: based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Economy |
| Overview: Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. It is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, and a 2.9% population growth rate, have undercut the economy. Niger shares a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care, primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and other programs geared at poverty reduction. In December 2005, Niger received 100% multilateral debt relief from the IMF, which translates into the forgiveness of approximately US $86 million in debts to the IMF, excluding the remaining assistance under HIPC. Nearly half of the government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Uranium prices have increased sharply in the last few years. A drought and locust infestation in 2005 led to food shortages for as many as 2.5 million Nigeriens. |
| GDP Purchasing Power Parity: $12.23 billion (2006 est.) |
| GDP Real Growth Rate: 3.5% (2006 est.) |
| GDP Composition By Sector Agriculture: 39% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Industry: 17% |
| GDP Composition By Sector Services: 44% (2001) |
| Labor Force: 70,000 salaried workers, 60% of whom are employed in the public sector (2002 est.) |
Labor Force By Occupation: agriculture: 90%
industry: 6%
services: 4% |
| Unemployment Rate: NA% |
Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share: lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1995) |
| Inflation Rate Consumer Prices: 0.2% (2004 est.) |
| Industries: uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses |
| Industrial Production Growth Rate: 5.1% (2003 est.) |
| Energy |
| Electricity Production: 232 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Production By Source Fossil Fuel: 100% |
| Electricity Production By Source Hydro: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Nuclear: 0% |
| Electricity Production By Source Other: 0% (2001) |
| Electricity Consumption: 415.8 million kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Exports: 0 kWh (2004) |
| Electricity Imports: 200 million kWh (2004) |
| Oil Production: 0 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Oil Consumption: 5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Production: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Natural Gas Consumption: 0 cu m (2004 est.) |
| Exports: $222 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Exports Commodities: uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions |
| Exports Partners: France 47.9%, Nigeria 21.4%, US 20.3% (2005) |
| Imports: $588 million f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
| Imports Commodities: foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals |
| Imports Partners: France 14.4%, US 10.6%, French Polynesia 7.5%, Nigeria 7.4%, Italy 6.7%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, China 4.5% (2005) |
| Debt External: $2.1 billion (2003 est.) |
| Economic Aid Recipient: $453.3 million (2003) |
| Communications |
| Telephones Main Lines In Use: 24,000 (2005) |
| TelephonesMobileCellular: 299,900 (2005) |
| Telephone System General Assessment: small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in the southwestern area of Niger |
| Telephone System Domestic: wire, radiotelephone communications, and microwave radio relay; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned |
| Telephone System International: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) |
| Radio Broadcast Stations: AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 4 (2001) |
| Radios: 680,000 (1997) |
| Television Broadcast Stations: 3 (plus 7 repeaters) (2002) |
| Televisions: 125,000 (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers-ISPs: 1 (2002) |
| Internet Users: 24,000 (2005) |
| Transportation |
| Waterways: 300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2005) |
| Airports: 28 (2006) |
| Military Expenditures Percent Of GDP: 1.3% (2006) |
| Disputes International: Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; much of Benin-Niger boundary, including tripoint with Nigeria, remains undemarcated; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty which also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries |