Doing more with less

Among the poorest countries, with per capita GNPs below $300, Bangladesh, Kenya, Malawi and Viet Nam have enviable enrolment rates of over 80%, about 20 percentage points above what could be expected at their income level. But in a similar income bracket, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mali and Niger enrol less than 30% of their primary school age children. Malawi’s rate compares well even with that of Saudi Arabia (not on the chart), which at 63% is 20 points lower than Malawi’s, although its per capita GNP ($7,040) is 40 times higher than Malawi’s. 

Zimbabwe (per capita GNP of $540) has a remarkable 90% rate; Guinea, at the same economic level, comes in under 35%. China’s rate of 95% is an impressive 20 percentage points above the average rate for its income; in the same income category, Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal have rates nearly 30 percentage points below average. 
 

Enrolment and GNP per capita

Note: Graph includes only those countries that have annual GNP per capita below $800, school enrolment rates 10% or more above or below the average and data from 1990 or later. Enrolment figures are for children aged 6 to 10 years except Burkina Faso (7-13) and Niger (7-12). Source: Demographic and Health Surveys and other national surveys, various years, 1990-1995.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates that countries make primary education free and compulsory, and the World Summit for Children goal for the year 2000 is universal access to basic education and completion of primary school by at least 80% of primary school age children. 
 

Despite per capita income of only $240 a year, 88% of Viet Nam's children, like this girl in Ho Chi Minh City, are in school.

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