The combined income of the 500 richest people in the world now
exceeds that of the poorest 416 million people, while in the HDI's 31
lowest ranked countries -- covering nine percent of the world's
population -- average life expectancy is 46 years, or 32 years less
than the highest ranking nations.
Africa stagnates while world gets richer-UNDP
Thu 9 Nov 2006 13:00:28 GMT
By Gordon Bell
CAPE TOWN, Nov 9 (Reuters) - The gap between the richest and poorest
countries is growing as human development stagnates in sub-Saharan
Africa, the world's poorest region, a U.N. report said on Thursday.
Most regions of the world enjoy a better standard of living now than
over the past three decades, except sub-Saharan Africa, where tens of
millions of people face a devastating AIDS pandemic.
The disease has slashed life expectancy, keeping many of the area's
nations at the bottom of the pile in the U.N.'s Human Development
Index (HDI) for 2006.
"In terms of the human development index itself obviously the single
biggest factor that has driven the reversals that we've seen in sub-
Saharan Africa has been HIV/AIDS," the report's lead author, Kevin
Watkins, told reporters.
The index -- which rates countries on wealth, life expectancy and
education -- ranked Norway as the best country in which to live and
Niger in West Africa last, unchanged from last year.
"People in Norway are more than 40 times wealthier than people in
Niger and they live almost twice as long," the U.N. Development
Programme (UNDP) said in its annual human development report.
The world as a whole has seen unprecedented growth in material wealth
over the past few decades, but the prosperity has not been evenly
shared.
The report paints a grim picture for the poorest of the poor, despite
massive debt relief.
"At the same time these increases (in wealth) have been very uneven,
with vast numbers of people not participating in progress," it said.
"Mass poverty, deeply entrenched inequality and lack of political
empowerment contribute to deny a large share of the world's
population the freedom to make choices."
WRONG GLOBAL STREET
The combined income of the 500 richest people in the world now
exceeds that of the poorest 416 million people, while in the HDI's 31
lowest ranked countries -- covering nine percent of the world's
population -- average life expectancy is 46 years, or 32 years less
than the highest ranking nations.
"Being born on the wrong street in the global village carries with it
a large risk in terms of survival prospects," the UNDP said.
The report added that life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa was
sharply lower than it was in the 1970s, due to HIV/AIDS.
The region has been hardest hit by the epidemic, accounting for
almost two thirds of the estimated 40 million people infected with
HIV worldwide.
Life expectancy is just 31.3 years in the tiny southern African
Kingdom of Swaziland, and 47 in neighbouring South Africa -- Africa's
biggest economy -- compared to 82.2 years in Japan.
AIDS was also having an greater impact on women, with life expectancy
of women in Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa and Swaziland expected to
be two years less than men in the five years between 2005 and 2010.
"When it comes to human development, the rising tide of global
prosperity has lifted some boats faster than others, and some boats
are sinking faster," the UNDP said.
The index, first published in 1990, measured statistics from 175
countries and Hong Kong and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Iceland, Australia, Ireland and Sweden completed the list of top five
countries, with Sierra Leone, Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea-Bissau --
all African states -- holding up the rear.
It did not, however, measure several nations including Afghanistan
and Iraq due to insufficient data.
David Preiss, Ph.D.
Profesor Auxiliar / Assistant Professor
Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile
Escuela de Psicología
Av Vicuña Mackenna 4860
Macul, Santiago
Chile
Fono: 3544605
Fax: 3544844
e-mail: davidpreiss@uc.cl
web personal: http://web.mac.com/ddpreiss/
web institucional: http://www.uc.cl/psicologia
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