 |
South AsiaLearn More, Read MoreThe HRD profiles of the South Asian countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka share many common characteristics. These are attributable to similar features in terms of history, geography, demography, and human development. We have a look at the status of health, education, employment and income in this highly populated part of the region. In the last four decades, the South Asian region has experienced rapid population growth, due for the most part to the considerable decline in mortality rates. Since the 1950s, the region's population has more than doubled, from around 456 million in 1950 to about 1,117 million in 1990. The South Asian population thus accounts for approximately 36% of Asia's population, and 21% of the world population. Indeed, three of the ten most populated countries are located in South Asia, namely India (rank 2nd), Pakistan (rank 7th) and Bangladesh (rank 9th). Although there has been increasing urbanization in the region, the majority of the population remains in rural areas. Approximately 25 percent of the population lives in urban areas, compared to 31 percent in Asia, and 43 percent worldwide. (See table 1.) The South Asian region has experienced a slight but steady decline in the annual growth rate since the mid 1960s, mostly due to a drop in fertility rates. The current rate of population increase, however, estimated in 1993 at 2.03 percent, is higher than that of East Asia or Southeast Asia. It is thus predicted that the population of the region will reach 1,364 million by the year 2000. It is worth noting that the population in South Asia is youthful, with children under the age of 15 comprising around 37 percent of the population in 1990. Thus, for every 100 people in the working age group (15-59 years of age), there are 79 young (0-14 years of age) and elderly (60+ years of age) people to support. ECONOMY The countries in South Asia are among the poorest in the world. The 1993 GNP per capita ranged from U.S. $190 in Nepal to U.S. $600 in Sri Lanka, compared to the world average of U.S. $4,570. Indeed, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal are among the 13 least developed countries in the Asia-Pacific region. All countries in the South Asian region fall in the low human development rank of UNDP, except for Sri Lanka which is placed in the medium category. Table 2 provides an overview of incomes in South Asia and public expenditures on health and education. Economic growth rates during the 1960-1970s, in contrast to other developing regions, remained low at between three to five percent per year or even declined such as with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Since the 1980s, however, there have been signs of increased economic growth. Between 1980-1993, the GDP of South Asian countries grew annually at a rate of over five percent, and per capita GDP at three percent. During this period, for example, the GNP per capital annual growth rates for Bangladesh and Pakistan were 2.1 percent and 3.1 percent respectively, compared to -0.3 percent and 1.8 percent between 1965-1980. Expenditures on health and education as a percentage of GNP are, however, still quite low. Sri Lanka and Nepal, for instance, spend 3.3 percent and 2.9 percent respectively on education, while the world average is 5.1 percent. The South Asia region has experienced many problems associated with low per capita incomes, such as population growth, unemployment and underemployment, illiteracy, and poor health. South Asia is perhaps the region most affected by human poverty, hosting the largest number of people in income poverty, 515 million. Indeed, it is estimated that about 30 to 40 percent of the population (330 to 440 million people), live in absolute poverty. In total, the regions of South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific have over 950 million of the 1.3 billion people experiencing income poverty. HEALTH In the past few decades, South Asia has made some progress in terms of the health of its population. Between 1960-1993, for example, life expectancy went from 44 to 60 years of age, and the infant mortality rate declined from 164 to 84 per thousand live births. Furthermore, about 85% of one year old babies are now immunized. However, the health status of large parts of the population remains sub-standard, and the majority of those living in rural areas lack access to basic health care. Rural people generally still live in areas without a clean water supply and basic sanitation facilities. Indeed, approximately 250 million people in South Asia lack access to safe water, and around 850 million people do not have access to basic sanitation (see table 3). Furthermore, despite progress made in its reduction, malnutrition remains a serious problem, particularly among children and pregnant women. This malnutrition is caused by poverty, poor food hygiene, and an improperly balanced diet. About 600 million people suffer from chronic malnutrition, with almost 85 million children under the age of five malnourished. In addition, pre-natal health care remains poor in South Asia. Approximately one-third of all newborn babies are underweight. Furthermore, around 80 percent of pregnant women in South Asia suffer from anaemia - the highest rate in the world. EDUCATION The South Asian countries have all adopted measures to strive for universal education, but progress within the region remains varied. While India and Sri Lanka have attained near universal primary education (around 95%), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan all have at least 35% of their children not attending school. The low school attendance rate in these four countries can be attributed to children living in remote areas without access to education, or the fact that girl enrolment is significantly lower than that of boys. With the exception of Sri Lanka, the other countries all have markedly low literacy rates (table 4). The number of illiterates in South Asia has gone from 302.3 million people in 1970 to 398.1 million in 1990, and it is estimated to reach 437.1 million by the year 2000. Thus, while the majority of the world's regions are making progress in reducing illiteracy levels, South Asia seems to be stagnating, or worsening. This is partially due to the high rates of fertility and the obstacles facing women in attaining literacy. Indeed, a main characteristic of the literacy situation in South Asia is the gender imbalance. Again with the exception of Sri Lanka, all other countries have female literacy rates of less than or just half that of males. Another factor adding to the low literacy rates in South Asia (except for Sri Lanka) is the fact that more than half of the children who enter primary school do not reach grade five, and thus become functional illiterates by adulthood. It is important to note that, in the past few decades, all of the South Asian countries have undertaken measures to improve their human resource development. Policies and programmes in areas such as health and education have been formulated and implemented to improve the quality of life of the populations. However, much work still needs to be done. While the Republic of Korea invests $160 per person/year in education and health and Malaysia $150, India invests $14, Pakistan $10, and Bangladesh $5. The challenge remains for governments to invest in human capabilities, in aggressive and innovative human resources development, in order for all members of society to fulfill their potential and become productive citizens. See also our Country Fact Sheets: Sources: UNDP, "Human Development Report", 1996, and 1997, and ESCAP, "Socio-Economic Profile of SAARC Countries," 1996 |