South Asia - Development goals off track in South Asia

Factoids

April 8, 2008 - A new World Bank-IMF report, Global Monitoring Report: MDGs and the Environment—Agenda for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, warns that most countries in South Asia will fall short on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight globally agreed development goals with a due date of 2015. Though much of the world, including South Asia, is set to cut extreme poverty in half by then, prospects are gravest for the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality, with serious shortfalls also likely in primary school completion, nutrition, and sanitation goals.

Poverty

- South Asia will likely meet the poverty reduction MDG. Most of the progress in this region can be attributed to India’s rapid growth over the past decade.

- While most of the global poverty reduction between 1990 and 2004 took place in East Asia and Pacific, South Asia is likely to contribute the most to global poverty reduction in the next decade.

- Despite progress, on current trends most human development MDGs are unlikely to be met at the global level. South Asia is likely to fall seriously short in some areas.

Health

Malnutrition

- While much progress has been made in reducing under-five malnutrition, South Asia will likely not reach the goal of halving its incidence. South Asia has the highest incidence of child malnutrition; the child malnutrition rate in India is double the African average. The risk of malnutrition increases with high food prices.

- South Asia actually has a slightly higher incidence than Sub-Saharan Africa of moderate stunting, but a lower incidence of severe stunting this is part of the malnutrition piece.

Maternal Health

- The percentage of births attended by skilled personnel is low in South Asia (41 percent) and Sub-Saharan Africa (46 percent).

Child Mortality

- South Asia is also off track for reaching the MDG child mortality target.

Education

- The world is likely to miss the goal of universal primary school completion but come close. However, sizable shortfalls are likely in South Asia. Most countries in South Asia are off track to meet the primary education target.

- The gap in primary enrollment rates between boys and girls in South Asia is narrowing, but rates are still lower for girls than for boys. Prospects for achieving gender parity in tertiary education are less promising. The regional shortfalls in South Asia in part reflect the lower base it started from.- The literacy rate for young women in South Asia aged 15-24 has increased from 48 percent in 1990 to 65 percent in 2005.

- In South Asia, where intraquintile female primary school completion rates are already significantly lower than male completion rates, the difference in the likelihood of completion for a boy in the richest quintile compared with a girl in the poorest is particularly acute.

Environment

- South Asia is on track to meet the access to clean water target but off track to provide improved sanitation.

- The region accounts for 37 percent of the global burden of disease caused by indoor air pollution (from burning biomass fuels).

- Spotlight on the South Asia's Environment
In 2000 the region accounted for less than 6 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. (Read More »)

Additional Resources

- Blog - End Poverty in South Asia
Shanta Devarajan, World Bank Chief Economist for South Asia, shares insights about the fight against poverty in the region. (Read More »)

- Changing Climate in South Asia
Climate change is already taking place, and the South Asian countries, particularly the poorest people, are most at risk. (Read More »)

- 2007 World Poverty Day in South Asia
Recent high economic growth in South Asia raises the distinct possibility that the region with the world’s largest concentration of poor people will not just reduce poverty, but it may eliminate it in a generation. (Read More »)

- 2007 World AIDS Day in South Asia
The World Bank encourages the South Asian Corporate Sector to demonstrate leadership in the campaign against HIV/AIDS. (Read More »)

- South Asia: Development Data
A wide range of social and economic measures on South Asia, including links to the World Bank's most important online development databases. (Read More »)

- South Asia: Analysis and Research
Compilation of all the World Bank's publications on South Asia, with 'search' options and links to analysis and research on other South Asian countries. (Read More »)

- World Bank Program in South Asia
Launching pad to all information on World Bank activities in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.(Read More »)

Development goals off track in South Asia - GMR 2008

Factoids

Health

Education

Environment

Additional Resources