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Reference

Niger Facts and Figures from Encarta
Basic Facts
Official name Republic of Niger
Capital Niamey
Area 1,267,000 sq km
489,200 sq mi
Niger
People
Population 11,058,590 (2003 estimate)
Population growth
Population growth rate 2.71 percent (2003 estimate)
Projected population in 2025 18,386,397 (2025 estimate)
Projected population in 2050 27,749,955 (2050 estimate)
Population density 8.7 persons per sq km (2003 estimate)
23 persons per sq mi (2003 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution
Share urban 21 percent (2001 estimate)
Share rural 79 percent (2001 estimate)
Largest cities, with population
Niamey 731,000 (1999 estimate)
Zinder 120,900 (1988)
Maradi 113,000 (1988)
Ethnic groups
Hausa 56.0 percent
Djerma 22.0 percent
Fulani 8.5 percent
Tuareg 8.0 percent
Kanuri 4.3 percent
Arab, Toubou, Gourmantche 1.2 percent
Languages
French (official); Arabic, Boudouma, Djerma, Fulfulde, Gourmantchema, Hausa, Kanouri, Tamachek, Tasawak, Toubou
Religious affiliations
Muslim 90 percent (almost all Sunni Muslim)
Indigenous beliefs 8 percent
Christian 1 percent
Other 1 percent
Health and Education
Life expectancy
Total 42.2 years (2003 estimate)
Female 42.1 years (2003 estimate)
Male 42.3 years (2003 estimate)
Infant mortality rate 124 deaths per 1,000 live births (2003 estimate)
Population per physician 30,591 people (1998)
Population per hospital bed 8,574 people (1998)
Literacy rate
Total 17.6 percent (2003 estimate)
Female 9.7 percent (2003 estimate)
Male 25.8 percent (2003 estimate)
Education expenditure as a share of gross national product (GNP) 2.1 percent (1999-2000)
Number of years of compulsory schooling 6 years (2000)
Number of students per teacher, primary school 41 students per teacher (1999-2000)
Government
Form of government
Democratic republic
Voting qualifications Universal at age 18
Constitution
12 May 1996; revised 1999
Armed forces
Total number of military personnel 5,300 (2001)
Military expenditures as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) 1.8 percent (2001)
Economy
Gross domestic product (GDP, in U.S.$) $2 billion (2001)
GDP per capita (U.S.$) $170 (2001)
GDP by economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 38.8 percent (2000)
Industry 16.9 percent (2001)
Services 42.7 percent (2001)
Employment
Number of workers 5,262,132 (2001)
Workforce share of economic sector
Agriculture, forestry, fishing 8 percent (1991)
Industry 48 percent (1991)
Services 44 percent (1991)
Unemployment rate Not available
National budget (U.S.$)
Total revenue $188 million (1993 estimate)
Total expenditure $400 million (1993 estimate)
Monetary unit
1 Communaut* Financière Africaine (CFA) franc, consisting of 100 centimes
Major trade partners for exports
France, Nigeria, United States, Benin, and Ghana
Major trade partners for imports
France, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, China, and Japan
Energy, Communications, and Transportation
Electricity production
Electricity from thermal sources 100 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from hydroelectric sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from nuclear sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Electricity from geothermal, solar, and wind sources 0 percent (2001 estimate)
Number of radios per 1,000 people 127 (2000 estimate)
Number of telephones per 1,000 people 2 (2001)
Number of televisions per 1,000 people 39 (2000 estimate)
Number of Internet hosts per 10,000 people 0.16 (2001)
Daily newspaper circulation per 1,000 people 0.4 (1995)
Number of motor vehicles per 1,000 people 5.6 (1997)
Paved road as a share of total roads 8 percent (1999)
Sources
Basic Facts and People sections
Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).
Health and Education section
Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).
Government section
Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data is from Military Balance.
Economy section
Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.
Energy, Communication, and Transportation section
Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).
Note
Figures may not total 100 percent due to rounding.