Niger Case Study

Question 1

Location

Answer 1

• Central north Africa
• Neighbours = Chad in the East, Libya in NE, Algeria in NW, Mali in W, Nigeria in S
• Landlocked

Question 2

Environment

Answer 2

• Landlocked
• 80% of Niger covered by Sahara Desert – central and Northern regions
• 90% pf pop lives in 1/3 of the land
• Most of pop lives in south – climate is wetter and more seasonal, and soils more fertile
• Capital located in southwest – Niamey
• Highly variable + unreliable rainfall
• Droughts and climate related hazards = major issue inc. sandstorms and locust invasions
• Past 40yrs periodic periods of drought causing crop failure, food insecurity and famine
• Drought in 2011 lead to ag output decreasing 14%

Question 3

Population Characteristics

Answer 3

• Population = 3.4 million in 1960 to 24 million in 2020
• Pop density = 19 ppl per square km
• In 2020 LE = 60.7 for males + 63.0 for females
• Average LE 61.8
• 2020 ranked last of 189 on UN Human Development Index
• 41.4% living under the poverty line
• Per capita income = $553.90
• Ag main economic activity then uranium mining

Question 4

Population

Answer 4

27 million

Question 5

Total Fertility Rate

Answer 5

5.9

Question 6

Life Expectancy

Answer 6

life expectancy = 61.4
Males = 60.5
Females = 62.4

Question 7

Infant Mortality Rate

Answer 7

63.3/1000/yr

Question 8

HDI

Answer 8

189/193

Question 9

Birth Rate

Answer 9

43.8/1000/yr

Question 10

Death Rate

Answer 10

7.8/1000/yr

Question 11

Population Proportion

Answer 11

• (0-14)- 50.58%
• (15-24) – 20%
• (25-54) – 23.57%
• (55-64) – 3.17%
• (65+) – 2.68%
• In 2021 over 70% of Nigers pop under the age of 25
• Interconnections b/w high no of youth and early age of marriage and preference for large fam = Social and cultural growth factors

Question 12

Proportion of people in need of humanitarian aid

Answer 12

16%

Question 13

Factors that affect population changes in Niger

Answer 13

• Cultural Norms
• Early age of Marriage
• Education

Question 14

Cultural Norms

Answer 14

90% of Niger’s pop = Muslim – favour large fam social norm = marry young and lots of babies – considered sign of wealth and power
o Only 17% of couples used a method of contraception

Question 15

Early Age of Marriage

Answer 15

in the past 20yrs 28% of girls in Niger are married before 15 years + 76% married by age 18 – trend not changing much
o Legal age of marriage = 15
o Interconnection b/w low levels of education + child marriage
o 81% of 20-24yr old married women had no formal education – those who finished secondary school only 17% married by 18

Question 16

Education

Answer 16

• Education – 35.05% of the adult pop able to read and write / hal of all children aged 7-16 not enrolled in school
  o Only 60% of girls complete primary school + less in rural areas

Question 17

Trend in IMR + CMR

Answer 17

• High CMR of 80.4/1000 live births / yr
• Pneumonia and Diarrhoea top list of infectious diseases in Niger claim lives of millions of children under 5

Question 18

Other factors that affect population changes

Answer 18

• Conservative religious teachings
• Having many children = cultural ideal in Niger
• Children can share work in farming – come with two hands to work but only one mouth to feed
• Early marriages + low contraception – increased Opp to have children in child bearing years
• Gov spends only a tiny proportion of its budget on family planning

Question 19

Immigration

Answer 19

• limited immigration b/c low socio econ dec and environmental variability
• Transit country- ppl moving from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe
• V. small neighbouring countries
• Recent surge of refugees – 180,000 young men
• Niger hosts 700 000 forcibly displaced people

Question 20

Internal Migration

Answer 20

• Most common = rural to rural b/c enviro factors
• Nat disasters – drought etc. contribute to movement
• Rural – urban for work
• Internal displacement of 347,000 by end of 2023