Standard of living

• Malawi is ranked as the 8th poorest country in the world. (World Bank – 2004)
• 41.7% of the population live on less than $1 per day
• In 2003, the gross national income per capita ($US) in Malawi was $170. This figure is 167 times greater in the UK at $28,350

World Health Organisation (WHO) – 2005 Report

Health

• The average life expectancy at birth is roughly half in Malawi than in the UK. That’s an average life expectancy of only 41 years old compared to 78 years old in the UK. (2003)
• Almost 1/5 of children die before reaching the age of 5. (2003)
• There is 213 times more physicians in UK than in Malawi (2003)
• There is 21 times more nurses and midwives in UK than in Malawi. (2003)
• There is 28 times more health workers in the UK than in Malawi. (2003)
• There is 45 times more total expenditure per capita on health in the UK. That’s the difference between $48 yearly per person in Malawi and $28,350 in the UK.
• Rural access to improved water sources in 2002, Malawi – 62%
• Rural access to improved sanitation in 2002, Malawi – 42%

World Health Organisation (WHO) – 2005 Report

HIV/AIDS

Sub-Saharan Africa General:

• Sub-Saharan Africa has just over 10% of the world’s population, but is home to more than 60% of all people living with HIV—25.8 million. That is over 13 times more than the total of North America, Western and Central Europe. (UNAIDS – 2005)
• In 2005, an estimated 3.2 million people in the region became newly infected. That is almost 50 times more than the total of North America, Western and Central Europe. (UNAIDS – 2005)
• In 2005, an estimated 2.4 million adults and children died of AIDS. That is 80 times more than the total of North America, Western and Central Europe. (UNAIDS – 2005)
• Western Europe and North America remain the only regions in the world where most people in need of antiretroviral treatment are able to receive it. As a result, the number of AIDS deaths plummeted in the late 1990s. (UNAIDS – 2005)

Malawi Specific:

• In 2003, almost 10% of the population of Malawi (900,000) were living with HIV. In the UK this figure is less then 0.1%. (WHO - 2005)
• In 2003, 500,000 children were orphaned by AIDS, that’s almost 13% of the population. (UNESCO - 2005)
• All-cause mortality has risen by 76 percent among men and 74 percent among women age 15-49 during the 1990s. The age patterns of the increase are consistent with causes related to HIV/AIDS. (Malawi National Statistics Office – 2000)
• Contraceptive prevalence rate for both sexes in Malawi was 26% in 2000 with the UK being at 81% (2002) (WHO - 2005)
• Unprompted awareness that use of condoms prevents HIV transmission has risen between 1996 and 2000 from 23 to 55 percent among women and from 47 to 71 percent among men. (Malawi National Statistics Office – 2000)
• Generally, knowledge of means to prevent HIV/AIDS is lowest in the young, sexually inexperienced, and rural population. (Malawi National Statistics Office – 2000)
• Antiretroviral therapy coverage of both sexes in Malawi was only 8% in 2004. That is almost 10 times lower than in the UK. (WHO - 2005)

Malaria

• From the amount of notified cases it is estimated that over 1/4 of the population have contracted Malaria. (WHO – 2005)
• Almost 50% of deaths among children under 5 are attributable to malaria. (Malawi Ministry of Health – 2002)

Bednets

• Only 13% of households own at least 1 bednet. (Malawi Nat Office of Statistics – 2000)
• On average only 7% of people slept under a bednet on the night before the survey. (Malawi Nat Office of Statistics – 2000)
• Use of insecticide-treated bed nets in population under 5 years old has risen from 2.9% in 2000 to 35.5% in 2004. (UNICEF – 2005)

Treatment of fever in children under age five

• 42% of children under age five had a fever in the two weeks preceding the survey. (Malawi Nat Office of Statistics – 2000)
• The percentage of the population under 5 years old with a fever who were being treated with anti-malarial drugs dropped from 27% in 2000 to 18% in 2004
• Among feverish children, 35% were reported to have been taken to a health facility for treatment and 27% of children were given an antimalarial. (Malawi Nat Office of Statistics – 2000)
• Of those given an antimalarial, 83 percent were given the treatment within zero to one day of the onset of fever. (Malawi Nat Office of Statistics – 2000)

Education

• Adult literacy rate (15 and over) in 2004 – 64.1% (20% higher in men)
• Only 81% of eligible children enrol in primary education (2001)
• Only 1/3 of kids of eligible age enrol in secondary education.
• Only 0.4% of the pop enrol in Tertiary education compared to 3.83% in UK (458 times more)
• UK has 92% more primary teachers relative to population
• Primary school pupil/teacher ratio is 62 in Malawi and 17 in the UK. (Malawi over 3 times more)
• Secondary school pupil/teacher ratio is 42 in Malawi and 20 in the UK. (Malawi over double)
• Total secondary teachers 2003 is 90% greater in UK (relative to population)
• Total tertiary teachers is 93% greater in UK (relative to population)
• Public current expenditure per primary pupil ($US), Malawi – 20, UK – 4291 (UK 215 times more) (2002)

Agriculture

• Highest value commodities 89-91 – Tobacco, 99-01 – Potatoes, 02 – Maize, 03 – Maize (UK cows milk for all years)
• Agricultural population % of total, Malawi – 83%, UK – 11% (2004) (70% difference)
• Economically active population in agriculture % of total (2004), Malawi – 81, UK – 2 (79% more in UK)
• Irrigated land as % share of total arable land (2002), Malawi – 1.3, UK – 2.95
• UK had 96 more tractors per 1000 ha of arable land than Malawi in 2002.
• Malawi received over $123 million (US$) in external assistance to agriculture between 1999 and 2001. (all with concessions)