Facts on Hunger, Poverty, and Education
IN BANGLADESH:
- In 1999, 71% of adult females were illiterate. (World Bank World Development Indicators 2001 Report)
- Between 1993 and 1999, 56% of children were malnourished. (World Bank World Development Indicators 2001 Report)
- In 2000, 55% of preschool-age children suffered from stunted growth. Fifty-six percent were underweight and more than 17% showed signs of wasting. (World Health Organization)
- In 1999, the average income was $370 per person. (World Bank World Development Indicators 2001 Report)
- An estimated 7 million children under the age of 14 are forced to work. (South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude)
AROUND THE WORLD:
- Of school-age children in developing countries, 55% of boys and 46% of girls are enrolled in school. The gap is widest in South Asia, where 65% of boys but only 50% of girls are enrolled in school. (UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2000)
- Worldwide, more than 130 million children ages six to eleven are not attending school. Nearly 60% are girls. (UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2000)
- Educated females are more likely to have smaller families and healthier, more educated children, but two-thirds of the world's 855 million illiterate adults are women. (UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 1999)
- A child born in the developing world has a 40% chance of living in extreme poverty. (UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2001)
- Twenty-nine thousand children die every day, mostly from causes related to poverty and malnutrition. (UNICEF State of the World's Children Report 2001)
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