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In sub-Saharan Africa, 41% of the population is living at less than $1.90.
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Sub-Saharan Africa has both the highest rates of children living in extreme poverty at just under 50 per cent, and the largest share of the world’s extremely poor children, at just over 50%.
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According to a World Bank and Unicef study, of all the children living in extreme poverty, 75% live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.
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In 2012, 3.5 million children in Africa were two-parent orphans (had lost both parents), and another 28.6 million children were single-parent orphans, bringing the total number of orphans to 32.1 million.
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Income inequality is a huge problem. Of the 10 most unequal countries in the world today, seven are in Africa.
Africa is the poorest continent
on earth by a long shot.
With the exception of three, 28 of the poorest countries in the world are in Africa. You and Children International play a role in solving this problem. Our program serves the sub-Saharan African nation of Zambia, one of the poorest in the world.
Africa: a continent of children
- Half of the continent’s population is children, up to 20% of which are disabled.
- An ever-increasing number are growing up stunted because of the challenges of malnutrition.
- Diseases like HIV/AIDS are leaving kids orphaned and in charge of their households at very young ages. An estimated 32.1 million orphans live in Africa.
- Malaria kills 3,000 African children per day, that’s one child every 30 seconds.
- With a population expected to more than double by 2050, even fewer resources will be available to go around without dramatic change.
Difficult conditions
The infrastructure that most of the world takes for granted is missing or severely limited in Africa. 589 million sub-Saharan Africans live without electricity and cook by burning whatever they can find.
Water and sanitation issues cost these countries more than the total economic aid they receive. Of all of the people in the world without access to safe water, almost 40% live in Africa.
Hunger is a major issue, and Africa is producing less food per person, with the average plot of land being too small to feed a family.
A solvable
issue
A recent report has suggested that fewer people in Africa are living in extreme poverty than a decade ago. Even so, with population growth, more and more people are living in poor conditions. Our programs work to help children create lasting change in their lives and their families.
