This content requires Adobe Flash Player version
or later.
Either you do not have Adobe Flash Player installed,
or your version is too old,
or there is a problem with your Flash installation and we were unable to detect it.
Per capita GDP in Niger (constant 2000 US$) and share of GDP from agriculture (percent), 1960–2008
400 300 200 100
GDP per capita Share in agriculture
0 1960 1970 1980
Source: World Development Indicators (World Bank 2009). Note: GDP = gross domestic product; US$ = US dollars.
1990 2000 2010
30 40 50 60 70 80
urbanization along with the development of the service industry has resulted in this decline in the contribution of the agricultural sector to GDP.
Vulnerability to Climate Change Table 9.2 provides some data on Niger’s performance on several indicators of a population’s vulnerability and resiliency to economic shocks beyond the factor of income level: level of education, literacy, and concentration of labor in poorer or less dynamic sectors. These social indicators show Niger among the most vul- nerable countries in the region. Its primary school enrolment is about 50 per- cent, while its enrolment in secondary school is below 15 percent. The dropout rate after primary school is drastic. In addition, the adult literacy rate is very low (29 percent). Niger has a Muslim majority, and many families prefer Islamic edu- cation, sending their children to Koranic schools rather than the formal schools. The popularity of Koranic schools may help to account for the low enrolment in primary schools. The drastic fall in secondary school education could be due to poverty, early marriages for girls, and the need for family labor on farms.