April 9, 2003—With tables on HIV/AIDS, communications, transportation, household welfare and hundreds of other development indicators from more than 50 African countries, the new edition of the African Development Indicators (ADI) 2003 released this week provides the most detailed collection of development data on Africa in one volume. Drawn from the World Bank Africa Database and covering a period of 21 years, the African Development Indicators (ADI) 2003 aims at assisting practitioners and policy makers to better understand today’s regional economic, social and environmental trends and issues. "Africa urgently needs rich nations to deliver on their promises of more generous aid and wider trade opportunities to reverse the cruel effects of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, civil wars, and persistent low growth rates," explains Alan Gelb, World Bank Chief Economist for the Africa Region. "The World Bank's latest annual report African Development Indicators (ADI) 2003 sounds a clear warning that the rapid spread of HIV/AIDS, anemic aid and investment flows, and weak commodity prices threaten to undo the hard-fought gains of recent years," he adds. The ADI 2003 presents data from 53 African countries and five regional country groups, arranged in separate tables or matrices for more than 500 indicators of development. The ADI report provides data from 1980-2001 with a wealth of indicators, grouped into 16 chapters: background data; national accounts; prices and exchange rates; money and banking; external sector; external debt and related flows; government finance; agriculture; power, communications, and transportation; public enterprises; labor force and employment; aid flows; social indicators; environmental indicators; Household Welfare Indicators; and HIPC debt initiative. Each chapter begins with a brief introduction on the nature of the data and their limitations, followed by a set of statistical tables, charts, and technical notes that define the indicators and identify their specific source. Included this year are new tables on HIV/AIDS, communications and transportation, the HIPC debt initiative, and household welfare indicators. The publication is designed to provide all those interested in Africa with a focused and convenient set of data to monitor development programs and aid flows in the region. "This publication brings together in one place the best statistical picture of Africa available. In it you will find evidence of Africa's progress, and Africa's challenges --and throughout the complexity of the African scene," says Jeff Katz, the Manager of Africa Partnerships and External Affairs. According to the ADI: - The country with the largest population is Nigeria, with 129.9 million people. It is followed by Ethiopia, with 65.8 million people, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 52.4 million.
- The countries that have made the greatest gains in life expectancy in the past two decades are the Comoros –from 52 to 61 years- and the Gambia –from 45 to 53 years.
- During the past two decades, fertility rates have dropped in every African country.
- The country with the highest proportion of females in its labor force is Ghana, at 50.4 percent.
- The country with the most urbanized population is Djibouti, at 84.2 percent.
- In 38% of Sub-Sahara African countries, there are more mobile phones per 1,000 people than mainlines per 1,000 people.
- The country with the highest GNI per capita for 2001 in Africa is Seychelles ($6,530). It is followed by Mauritius ($3,830), Gabon ($3,160), Botswana ($3,100), and South Africa ($2,820).
- The countries with the greatest reduction in life expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa in the past two decades are Botswana (-21 years), and Zimbabwe (-16 years).
- The country with the greatest HIV prevalence is Botswana, where one out of every three adults has contracted the virus (38.8 percent of people in the 15-49 age group) In Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho the infection rate is at least one out of every four adults.
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