Niger

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Country summary

Capital

Niamey

Borders

Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina Faso 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

Government type

republic

Population

15,306,252 (July 2010 est.)[1]

Population growth

3.677% (2010 est.)[1]

Life expectancy

52.6 years[1]

Unemployment

NA%[1]

Index of Economic Freedom

129[2]

Corruption Perceptions Index

106[3]

Doing Business ranking

174[4]


Niger became independent from France in 1960 and experienced single-party and military rule until 1991, when Gen. Ali SAIBOU was forced by public pressure to allow multiparty elections, which resulted in a democratic government in 1993. Political infighting brought the government to a standstill and in 1996 led to a coup by Col. Ibrahim BARE. In 1999, BARE was killed in a counter coup by military officers who restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power in December of that year. TANDJA was reelected in 2004 and in 2009 spearheaded a constitutional amendment that would allow him to extend his term as president. In February 2010, a military coup deposed TANDJA, immediately suspended the constitution and dissolved the Cabinet, and promised that elections would be held following a transitional period of unspecified duration. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. A predominately Tuareg ethnic group emerged in February 2007, the Nigerien Movement for Justice (MNJ), and attacked several military targets in Niger's northern region throughout 2007 and 2008. Successful government offensives in 2009 limited the rebels' operational capabilities.[1]

Economical characteristics

  • Currency: West African CFA franc (ISO code: XOF)
  • Central bank discount rate: 4.25% (31 December 2009)[1]
  • Commercial banks lending rate: NA% (31 December 2009 )[1]
  • Stock of money (M1): $617.9 million (31 December 2008)[1]
  • Quasi money (with M1 makes M2): $226.8 million (31 December 2008)[1]

Notable events:

Statistics

Statistic / Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
GDP (million USD)[6] 2 018 1 798 1 945 2 170 2 708 2 897 3 330 3 646 4 246 5 354
Govt. debt (% of GDP)[7]
Govt. revenue (% of GDP)[8] 10.758 12.973 13.638
Govt. expenses (% of GDP)[9] 9.319 9.281 11.769
Debt to revenue (years)

References

Note: statistical data was rounded. Different sources may use different methodologies for their estimates. Debt to revenue is calculated by dividing the two variables from their original ('unrounded') values. It represents how long it would a government take to repay its entire debt if it used its whole revenue for this purpose.

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 CIA - The World Factbook. "Niger", from The World Factbook. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  2. Heritage Foundation. "Niger", Economic Freedom Score. A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  3. Transparency International. "Niger", Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. A lower ranking is better; but please note that the numbers cannot be compared between countries or years due to different methodology. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  4. Doing Business. "Niger", Doing Business 2010 (part of The World Bank Group). A lower ranking is better; but please be careful when comparing between different countries or years. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  5. Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff. "This Time is Different", Princeton University Press, ISBN 978-0-691-14216-6, p. 376. (The list does not claim to be complete.) Referenced 2011-07-21.
  6. World Bank. "Niger: GDP", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  7. World Bank. "Niger: government debt", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  8. World Bank. "Niger: government revenue", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.
  9. World Bank. "Niger: government expenses", from World Bank Data. Referenced 2010-10-04.

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