Education, Health and Poverty Indicators

Access to an improved water source is the share of the population with reasonable access to an adequate amount of safe water (including treated surface water and untreated but uncontaminated water, such as from springs, sanitary wells, and protected boreholes). In urban areas the source may be a public fountain or standpipe located not more than 200 meters away. In rural areas the definition implies that members of the household do not have to spend a disproportionate part of the day fetching water. An adequate amount of water is that needed to satisfy metabolic, hygienic, and domestic requirements, usually about 20 liters of safe water a person per day.

Access to improved sanitation facilities refers to the share of the population with at least adequate excreta disposal facilities (private or shared, but not public) that can effectively prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta. Suitable facilities range from simple but protected pit latrines to flush toilets with sewerage. To be effective, all facilities must be correctly constructed and properly maintained.

Adult female illiteracy is the proportion of female adults aged 15 and above who cannot, with understanding, read and write a short, simple statement on their everyday life.

Adult mortality is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60, that is, the percentage of 15-year-olds who will die before their sixtieth birthday.

Child malnutrition is the percentage of children under 5 whose weight for age is less than minus 2 standard deviations from the median of the reference population.

Immunization rate measures the rate of vaccination coverage of children under one year of age. A child is considered adequately immunized against measles after receiving one dose of vaccine. A child is considered adequately immunized against DPT (diphtheria, pertussis or whooping cough, and tetanus) after receiving three doses of vaccine.

Infant mortality is the number of infants who die before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 live births in a given year.

Labor force comprises people who meet the ILO definition of the economically active population: all people who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes both the employed and unemployed. While national practices vary in the treatment of such groups as the armed forces and seasonal or part-time workers, in general the labor force includes the other unpaid caregivers and workers in the information sector.

Maternal mortality is the number of female deaths that occur during pregnancy and childbirth per 100,000 live births.

National poverty rate or headcount index is the percentage of the population living below the poverty line deemed appropriate for the country by its authorities. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.

Net primary school enrollment rate is the ratio of the number of children of official school age enrolled in school to the number of children of official school age in the population.

Primary school enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the primary level of education. Estimates are based on UNESCO's classification of education levels.

Primary, or first level, provides the basic elements of education at elementary or primary school.

Public expenditure on education includes expenditures on public education plus subsidies to private education at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Public expenditure on health consists of recurrent and capital spending from government (central and local) budgets, external borrowings and grants (including donations from international agencies and nongovernmental organizations), and social (or compulsory) health insurance funds.

Public expenditure on social security and welfare shows compensation for loss of income to the sick and temporarily disabled, payments to the elderly, the permanently disabled, and the unemployed; family, maternity, and child allowances; and the cost of welfare services, such as care of the aged, the disabled, and children, as percentage of total government expenditures.

Rural poverty rate or headcount index is the percentage of the rural population living below the rural poverty line.

Secondary school enrollment ratio is the ratio of total enrollment, regardless of age, to the population of the age group that officially corresponds to the secondary level of education. Estimates are based on UNESCO's classification of education levels. Secondary provides general or specialized instruction at middle, secondary, or high schools, teacher training schools, vocational or technical schools; this level of education is based on at least four years of instruction at the first level.

Share of income or consumption is the share that accrues to subgroups of population indicated by deciles or quintiles. Lowest quintile is the share accruing to the 20% of the population ranked lowest by personal or family income. Highest quintile is the share accruing to the 20% of the population ranked highest.

Urban poverty rate or headcount index is the percentage of the urban population living below the urban poverty line.