of the resources it has available and the likely future changes. As resource use links people, an understanding of population change is crucial to planning. The spread of health care and simple hygiene followed the end of World War II. Infant mortality went down and life expectancy went up. The effect was rapid population growth. By 1900, the population of CWANA was estimated at 710 million, about 12% of the world population.

Population distribution and population growth rates

The total population of CWANA as of 2005 was about 724 million (Table 1-2). Rural population, which is increasing, is about half of the total (World Bank, 2006).

Population growth rates vary among CWANA subregions and among countries. During the twentieth century, the populations of Egypt, Iran and Turkey more than quadrupled. Discrepancies in population growth rate among countries and subregions (UNDP et al., 2003) range from less than 2% in Algeria, Azerbaidjan, Caucasus, Iran, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan and United Arab Emirates; to 2.9% in the Nile Valley; 3.3% in Jordan, Libya and Saudi Arabia; 3.7% in Yemen and 4.2% in Oman.

Life expectancy

The highest life expectancy at birth is in the Arabian Peninsula, 73.3 years; West Asia, 67.7 years; and the Caucasus, 67.5 years. Afghans have the lowest life expectancy in CWANA-less than 50 years. Total fertility rates in CWANA vary from as low as 2.3 to 2.5 in Azerbaijan and Turkey to as high as 6.9 in Afghanistan, 7.2 in Oman and 7.6 in Yemen. The percentage of the population in the 15-65-year age group varies among member countries. In Ethiopia and Eritrea it is around 50%, in Turkey 66% and in the United Arab Emirates around 69.4% (UNDP et al., 2003).

Literacy

Central Asia and the Caucasus have the highest literacy rates in CWANA. Surprisingly, more than 98% of the population was literate in all countries in this subregion. Pakistan has the lowest literacy rate, 49%, in the subregion of Southwest Asia, with a significant difference between males, 61%, and females, 35%. Low literacy rates were observed for Yemen, 49%; Egypt, 55%; and Sudan, 59%, in Nile Valley and the Red Sea subregions. In North Africa, Morocco and Mauritania have the lowest literacy rates, about 50%. Comparatively better literacy rates were observed in the Arabian Peninsula-the lowest was Oman 74% and the highest, Qatar, 89%.

Access to potable water and sanitation

The percentage of the population with access to potable water varies from as low as 12% in Afghanistan to a high of 98% in Tunisia, with 94% in Lebanon and 90% in Iran. Variations among urban and rural areas in access to safe drinking water are great in many countries. In Morocco, 94% of the urban population has access to safe drinking water, while only 18% of the rural population enjoys it. In Tunisia the situation is much better. Safe drinking water is provided to all of the urban population and 95% of the rural population. Fairly high percentages of both urban and

rural populations in Algeria, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria have access to safe drinking water.

CWANA countries have discrepancies in the percentage of populations with adequate sanitation. It is rated high for some countries: Algeria 91%, Iran 81%, Oman 78%, Syria 83%, Tunisia 80%; low for some: Egypt 32%, Morocco 41%, Pakistan 47%; and very low for others: Somalia 12%, Sudan 22%.

Employment and unemployment

Unemployment rates in 1999-2001 reached about 29.8% in Algeria, 14.9% in Tunisia, 15.5% in Jordan, 11.6% in Morocco, Syria and Yemen, and 9.2% in Egypt. An increase in unemployment in households will increase the dependency ratio. It may encourage the use of child labor, increase poverty and increase inequality of income distribution. In Arab countries, children under the age of 15 constitute about 40% or more of the population, which increases the dependency ratio and might speed the rate of population growth unless it is controlled. Landless and nearly landless people are not necessarily poor; off-farm income can compensate for daily needs. Nonfarm income, such as salaries and wages, may offset decreasing sources of income from the land. Internal and external migrations of unskilled laborers seeking work fluctuate according to oil prices. The lessening demand for unskilled labor in Arab countries particularly affects poor households. Also crises affect poor households, such as the tourism crisis in Egypt in 1997 (IMF, 2005).

In 1997, unemployment in Tajikistan was 2.4% for men and 2.9% for women. Unemployment was defined as persons aged 15 and older without paid jobs. In 2005, Afghanistan had unemployment rates of 7.6% for men and 9.5% for women; Azerbaijan 7.6% for men and 9.5% for women; Iran 10% for men and 17% for women; Pakistan 6.6% for men and 12.8% for women; and Turkey 10% for both men and women. No data were shown for Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (Harvard College Library, 2007).

The lowest unemployment rates by far were in Tajikistan. Afghanistan and Azerbaijan had similar unemployment rates. In Iran and Pakistan, the difference in unemployment rates between men and women was wide; in Turkey, they were equal.

The underground economy as a component of informal work is big, but it is not counted in GDP. Also food and income aid from rich to needy persons through charity is large in the Arab world, but it is not counted either.

1.2.2 Poverty

Per capita income

Per capita income is an important economic indicator. Per capita income of the world was estimated at US$5,516, with an annual growth rate of 2.90%. If low per capita income is less than US$1500, medium between US$1,500 and US$6,000 and high income greater than US$6,000, CWANA countries can be classified accordingly. All eight Central Asian and Caucasus countries and all six Nile Valley and the Red Sea countries are low income. In North Africa four are low income and one, Libya, is high income. In West Asia, three countries are low income and three medium income. All six Arabian Peninsula countries are high income. Most