STATISTICS ON CHILD POVERTY IN AFRICA
Almost half the world — over three billion people — live on less than $2.50 a day.
According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they “die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death.”4
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names. 7
- About 120,000 African children are participating in armed conflicts. Some are as young as 7 years old. There are several thousands of ‘children of wars’ in Africa today with no parents and no relatives at all to care for them. Most join gangs, sleep on streets and struggle all day long just to get something to eat. (sources: United Nations, African Union)
- About 30 percent of all children in developing countries suffer from stunted growth (underweight). Nearly one third of children in Sub-Saharan Africa are underweight. (source: UNICEF)
- Between 12 and 16 million African children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS. About 70% of these orphans in sub-Saharan Africa (source: Wikipedia)
- Nearly 2 million children under 14 years old are HIV positive in sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these children face abandonment and could die in isolation. (Avert )
- 43% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have safe, accessible drinking water. Bad drinking water causes several water-related diseases in these communities. (source: UNICEF)
- More than 200,000 child slaves are sold every year in Africa. There are an estimated 8,000 girl-slaves in West Africa alone. (BBC: Anti-Slavery Society)
- Only 57% of African children are enrolled in primary education, and one in three of those does not complete school. For the price of one missile, a school of hungry children could eat lunch every single day for the next 5 years. (African Union: Poverty in Africa statistics)
- More than 2.5 billion people in developing countries lack basic sanitation. 64% of children in Sub-Saharan Africa do not have adequate sanitation. (UNICEF, WHO)
- For every 100 boys there are only 83 girls enrolled at primary school. Almost one billion people in the world today are unable to read a book or even sign their names. Meanwhile, less than one percent of what the world spends every year on weapons can put every school-going child in the world in school. (Sources: World Vision, African Union)
- About 500 million malarial cases are recorded every year with about 1 million fatalities. About 90% of all malaria deaths occur in Africa especially in Sub-Saharan Africa with children being the most affected group. (Source: WHO, UNICEF)