Niger

Broadcast media

state-run TV station; 3 private TV stations provide a mix of local and foreign programming; state-run radio has only radio station with national coverage; about 30 private radio stations operate locally; as many as 100 community radio stations broadcast; transmissions of multiple international broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.ne

Internet users

total: 401,000 | percent of population: 2.2% (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 145

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern Niger | domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity remains only about 50 per 100 persons despite a rapidly increasing cellular subscribership base; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned | international: country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) (2015)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 110,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 142

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 8.959 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 50 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 95

Agriculture - products

cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (manioc, tapioca), rice; cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Budget

revenues: $1.693 billion | expenditures: $2.346 billion (2015 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-9.1% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 201

Central bank discount rate

4.25% (31 December 2009) | 4.75% (31 December 2008) | country comparison to the world: 93

Commercial bank prime lending rate

3.5% (31 December 2015 est.) | 3.5% (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 158

Current account balance

-$1.289 billion (2015 est.) | -$1.318 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 128

Debt - external

$2.611 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $2.585 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 144

Distribution of family income - Gini index

34 (2007) | 50.5 (1995) | country comparison to the world: 98

Economy - overview

Niger is a landlocked, sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Agriculture contributes nearly 40% of GDP and provides livelihood for most of the population. The UN ranked Niger as the least developed country in the world in 2015 due to multiple factors such as food insecurity, lack of industry, high population growth, a weak educational sector, and few prospects for work outside of subsistence farming and herding. | Since 2011 public debt has increased due to efforts to scale-up public investment, particularly that related to infrastructure. The government relies on foreign donor resources for a large portion of its fiscal budget. The economy in recent years has been hurt by terrorist activity and kidnappings near its uranium mines and by instability in Mali and in the Diffa region of the country; concerns about security have resulted in increased support from regional and international partners on defense. Low uranium prices, demographics, and security expenditures may continue to put pressure on the government’s finances. | Future growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources. Although Niger has sizable reserves of oil, the profitability of these commodities has been called in to question due to the prolonged drop in oil prices. Food insecurity and drought remain perennial problems for Niger, and the government plans to invest a little more in the agriculture sector, most notably irrigation. Niger’s three-year $131 million IMF Extended Credit Facility agreement for years 2012-15 was extended until the end of 2016, although formal private sector investment needed for economic diversification and growth remains a challenge, given the country’s limited domestic markets, access to credit, and competitiveness.

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - | 591.45 (2015 est.) | 494.42 (2014 est.) | 494.42 (2013 est.) | 510.53 (2012 est.) | 471.87 (2011 est.)

Exports

$1.099 billion (2015 est.) | $1.448 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 157

Exports - commodities

uranium ore, livestock, cowpeas, onions

Exports - partners

France 53.1%, Nigeria 20.3%, China 13.8% (2015)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$7.151 billion (2015 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$19.05 billion (2015 est.) | $18.32 billion (2014 est.) | $17.11 billion (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 147

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 66.8% | government consumption: 16.7% | investment in fixed capital: 38.8% | investment in inventories: 0.1% | exports of goods and services: 17.2% | imports of goods and services: -39.4% (2015 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 36.9% | industry: 18.4% | services: 46.5% (2015 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$1,100 (2015 est.) | $1,100 (2014 est.) | $1,000 (2013 est.) | note: data are in 2015 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 222

GDP - real growth rate

4% (2015 est.) | 7.1% (2014 est.) | 5.3% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 87

Gross national saving

21.4% of GDP (2015 est.) | 22.5% of GDP (2014 est.) | 21% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.7% | highest 10%: 28.5% (2007)

Imports

$1.888 billion (2015 est.) | $2.157 billion (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 166

Imports - commodities

foodstuffs, machinery, vehicles and parts, petroleum, cereals

Imports - partners

France 12%, China 10.5%, Nigeria 9.5%, French Polynesia 9%, Togo 6.1%, Belgium 5.3%, Cote dIvoire 5.3%, US 4.3% (2015)

Industrial production growth rate

4% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 51

Industries

uranium mining, petroleum, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1% (2015 est.) | -0.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 85

Labor force

6.3 million (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 90% | industry: 6% | services: 4% (1995)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$NA

Population below poverty line

63% (1993 est.)

Stock of broad money

$2.027 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $2.047 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Stock of domestic credit

$1.145 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $922.7 million (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Stock of narrow money

$1.508 billion (31 December 2015 est.) | $1.657 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 138

Taxes and other revenues

23.7% of GDP (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 132

Unemployment rate

5.1% (2015 est.) | 5.1% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 53

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

900,000 Mt (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 106

Crude oil - production

20,000 bbl/day (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Crude oil - proved reserves

150 million bbl (1 January 2016 es) | country comparison to the world: 64

Electricity - consumption

1.2 billion kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 155

Electricity - exports

3 million kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 176

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 191

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 152

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 207

Electricity - imports

700 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Electricity - installed generating capacity

100,000 kW (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Electricity - production

600 million kWh (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Electricity access

population without electricity: 15,200,000 | electrification - total population: 15% | electrification - urban areas: 62% | electrification - rural areas: 4% (2013)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 178

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 154

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 110

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 es) | country comparison to the world: 177

Refined petroleum products - consumption

14,000 bbl/day (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 168

Refined petroleum products - exports

6,193 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 209

Refined petroleum products - imports

2,417 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Refined petroleum products - production

18,000 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 117

Area

total: 1.267 million sq km | land: 1,266,700 sq km | water: 300 sq km | country comparison to the world: 22

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Climate

desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Elevation

mean elevation: 474 m | elevation extremes: lowest point: Niger River 200 m | highest point: Idoukal-n-Taghes 2,022 m

Environment - current issues

overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands | signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geographic coordinates

16 00 N, 8 00 E

Geography - note

landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture

Irrigated land

1,000 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

total: 5,834 km | border countries (7): Algeria 951 km, Benin 277 km, Burkina Faso 622 km, Chad 1,196 km, Libya 342 km, Mali 838 km, Nigeria 1,608 km

Land use

agricultural land: 35.1% | arable land 12.3%; permanent crops 0.1%; permanent pasture 22.7% | forest: 1% | other: 63.9% (2011 est.)

Location

Western Africa, southeast of Algeria

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

recurring droughts

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, molybdenum, gypsum, salt, petroleum

Population - distribution

majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin

Terrain

predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north

Administrative divisions

7 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 capital district* (communite urbaine); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey*, Tahoua, Tillaberi, Zinder

Capital

name: Niamey | geographic coordinates: 13 31 N, 2 07 E | time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no | citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Niger | dual citizenship recognized: yes | residency requirement for naturalization: unknown

Constitution

several previous; passed by referendum 31 October 2010, entered into force 25 November 2010 (2016)

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Niger | conventional short form: Niger | local long form: Republique du Niger | local short form: Niger | etymology: named for the Niger River that passes through the southwest of the country; from a native term "Ni Gir" meaning "River Gir"

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Eunice S. REDDICK (since 12 September 2014) | embassy: BP 11201, Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey | mailing address: 2420 Niamey Place, Washington DC 20521-2420 | telephone: [227] 20-73-31-69 or [227] 20-72-39-41 | FAX: [227] 20-73-55-60

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Hassana ALIDOU (since 23 February 2015) | chancery: 2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 483-4224 through 4227 | FAX: [1] (202) 483-3169

Executive branch

chief of state: President ISSOUFOU Mahamadou (since 7 April 2011) | head of government: Prime Minister Brigi RAFINI (since 7 April 2011) | cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 21 February 2016 and 20 March 2016 (next to be held in 2021); prime minister appointed by the president, authorized by the National Assembly | election results: ISSOUFOU Mahamadou reelected president; percent of vote in first round - ISSOUFOU Mahamadou (PNDS-Tarrayya) 48.6%, Hama AMADOU (MODEN/FA Lumana Africa) 17.8%, Seini OUMAROU (MNSD-Nassara) 11.3%, other 22.3%; percent of vote in second round - ISSOUFOU Mahamadou 92%, Hama AMADOU 8%

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk centered in the white band; the orange band denotes the drier northern regions of the Sahara; white stands for purity and innocence; green symbolizes hope and the fertile and productive southern and western areas, as well as the Niger River; the orange disc represents the sun and the sacrifices made by the people | note: similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band

Government type

semi-presidential republic

Independence

3 August 1960 (from France)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, CD, ECOWAS, EITI (compliant country), Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OIF, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Constitutional Court (consists of 7 judges); High Court of Justice (consists of 7 members) | judge selection and term of office: Constitutional Court judges nominated/elected - 1 by the president of the Republic, 1 by the president of the National Assembly, 2 by peer judges, 2 by peer lawyers, 1 law professor by peers, and 1 from within Nigerien society; all appointed by the president; judges serve 6-year nonrenewable terms with one-third of membership renewed every 2 years; High Judicial Court members selected from among the legislature and judiciary; members serve 5-year terms | subordinate courts: Court of Cassation; Council of State; Court of Finances; various specialized tribunals and customary courts

Legal system

mixed legal system of civil law (based on French civil law), Islamic law, and customary law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (171 seats; 158 members directly elected from 8 multi-member constituencies in 7 regions and Niamey by party-list proportional representation, 8 reserved for minorities elected in special single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 5 seats reserved for Nigeriens living abroad - l seat per continent - elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms); note - the number of National Assembly seats increased from 113 to 171 in the February 2016 legislative election | elections: last held on 21 February 2016 (next to be held in 2021) | election results: percent of vote by party - PNDS-Tarrayya 44.1%, MODEN/FA-Lumana 14.7%, MNSD-Nassara 11.8%, MPR-Jamhuriya 7.1%, MNRD Hankuri-PSDN Alheri 3.5%, MPN-Kishin Kassa 2.9%, ANDP-Zaman Lahiya 2.4%, RSD-Gaskiya 2.4%, CDS-Rahama 1.8%, CPR-Inganci 1.8%, RDP-Jama'a 1.8%, AMEN AMIN 3.0%, other 1.4%; seats by party - PNDS-Tarrayya 75, MODEN/FA-Lumana 25, MNSD-Nassara 20, MPR-Jamhuriya 12, MNRD Hankuri-PSDN Alheri 6, MPN-Kishin Kassa 5, ANDP-Zaman Lahiya 4, RSD-Gaskiya 4, CDS-Rahama 3, CPR-Inganci 3, RDP-Jama'a 3, RDP-Jama'a 3, AMEN AMIN 3, other 8

National anthem

name: "La Nigerienne" (The Nigerien) | lyrics/music: Maurice Albert THIRIET/Robert JACQUET and Nicolas Abel Francois FRIONNET | note: adopted 1961

National holiday

Republic Day, 18 December (1958); note - commemorates the founding of the Republic of Niger which predated independence from France in 1960

National symbol(s)

zebu; national colors: orange, white, green

Political parties and leaders

Alliance of Movements for the Emergence of Niger or AMEN AMIN [Omar Hamidou TCHIANA] | Congress for the Republic or CPR-Inganci [Kassoum MOCTAR] | Democratic Alliance for Niger or ADN-Fusaha [Habi Mahamadou SALISSOU] | Democratic and Social Convention-Rahama or CDS-Rahama [Abdou LABO] | National Movement for the Development of Society-Nassara or MNSD-Nassara [Seini OUMAROU] | Nigerien Alliance for Democracy and Progress-Zaman Lahiya or ANDP-Zaman Lahiya [Moussa Moumouni DJERMAKOYE] | Nigerien Democratic Movement for an African Federation or MODEN/FA Lumana [Hama AMADOU] | Nigerien Movement for Democratic Renewal or MNRD-Hankuri [Mahamane OUSMANE] | Nigerien Party for Democracy and Socialism or PNDS-Tarrayya [Mahamadou ISSOUFOU] | Nigerien Patriotic Movement or MPN-Kishin Kassa [Ibrahim YACOUBA] | Party for Socialism and Democracy in Niger or PSDN-Alheri | Patriotic Movement for the Republic or MPR-Jamhuriya [Albade ABOUBA] | Rally for Democracy and Progress-Jama'a or RDP-Jama'a [Hamid ALGABID] | Social and Democratic Rally or RSD-Gaskiyya [Amadou CHEIFFOU] | Social Democratic Party or PSD-Bassira [Mohamed BEN OMAR] | Union for Democracy and the Republic-Tabbat or UDR-Tabbat [Amadou Boubacar CISSE] | note: the SPLM and SPLM-DC are banned political parties

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

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 allowing him to extend his term as president. In February 2010, military officers led a coup that deposed TANDJA and suspended the constitution. ISSOUFOU Mahamadou was elected in April 2011 following the coup and reelected to a second term in early 2016. 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 Tuareg rebellion emerged in 2007 and ended in 2009. Niger is facing increased security concerns on its borders from various external threats including insecurity in Libya, spillover from the conflict in Mali, and violent extremism in northeastern Nigeria.

Military branches

Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Nigerien Air Force (Force Aerienne du Niger) (2012)

Military expenditures

1.06% of GDP (2012) | NA% (2011) | 1.06% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 95

Military service age and obligation

18 is the presumed legal minimum age for compulsory or voluntary military service; enlistees must be Nigerien citizens and unmarried; 2-year service term; women may serve in health care (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 49.31% (male 4,635,901/female 4,554,010) | 15-24 years: 18.85% (male 1,734,887/female 1,777,896) | 25-54 years: 25.94% (male 2,414,668/female 2,419,725) | 55-64 years: 3.27% (male 316,655/female 293,570) | 65 years and over: 2.64% (male 250,314/female 240,974) (2016 est.)

Birth rate

44.8 births/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 1,557,913 | percentage: 43% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

37.9% (2012) | country comparison to the world: 4

Contraceptive prevalence rate

13.9% (2012)

Death rate

12.1 deaths/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 23

Demographic profile

Niger has the highest total fertility rate (TFR) of any country in the world, averaging close to 7 children per woman in 2016. A slight decline in fertility over the last few decades has stalled. This leveling off of the high fertility rate is in large part a product of the continued desire for large families. In Niger, the TFR is lower than the desired fertility rate, which makes it unlikely that contraceptive use will increase. The high TFR sustains rapid population growth and a large youth population – almost 70% of the populace is under the age of 25. Gender inequality, including a lack of educational opportunities for women and early marriage and childbirth, also contributes to high population growth. | Because of large family sizes, children are inheriting smaller and smaller parcels of land. The dependence of most Nigeriens on subsistence farming on increasingly small landholdings, coupled with declining rainfall and the resultant shrinkage of arable land, are all preventing food production from keeping up with population growth. | For more than half a century, Niger's lack of economic development has led to steady net outmigration. In the 1960s, Nigeriens mainly migrated to coastal West African countries to work on a seasonal basis. Some headed to Libya and Algeria in the 1970s to work in the booming oil industry until its decline in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the principal destinations for Nigerien labor migrants have been West African countries, especially Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, while emigration to Europe and North America has remained modest. During the same period, Niger’s desert trade route town Agadez became a hub for West African and other sub-Saharan migrants crossing the Sahara to North Africa and sometimes onward to Europe. | More than 60,000 Malian refugees have fled to Niger since violence between Malian government troops and armed rebels began in early 2012. Ongoing attacks by the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, dating to 2013 in northern Nigeria and February 2015 in southeastern Niger, have pushed tens of thousands of Nigerian refugees and Nigerien returnees across the border to Niger and to displace thousands of locals in Niger’s already impoverished Diffa region.

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 113% | youth dependency ratio: 107.5% | elderly dependency ratio: 5.5% | potential support ratio: 18.2% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 100% of population | rural: 48.6% of population | total: 58.2% of population | urban: 0% of population | rural: 51.4% of population | total: 41.8% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

6.8% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 101

Ethnic groups

Hausa 53.1%, Zarma/Songhai 21.2%, Tuareg 11%, Fulani (Peul) 6.5%, Kanuri 5.9%, Gurma 0.8%, Arab 0.4%, Tubu 0.4%, other/unavailable 0.9% (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.46% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

HIV/AIDS - deaths

3,600 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

49,000 (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 60

Health expenditures

5.8% of GDP (2014) | country comparison to the world: 74

Infant mortality rate

total: 82.8 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 87.3 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 78.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Languages

French (official), Hausa, Djerma

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 55.5 years | male: 54.3 years | female: 56.8 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 211

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 19.1% | male: 27.3% | female: 11% (2015 est.)

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk: very high | food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever | vectorborne diseases: malaria and dengue fever | water contact disease: schistosomiasis | respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis | animal contact disease: rabies (2016)

Major urban areas - population

NIAMEY (capital) 1.09 million (2015)

Maternal mortality rate

553 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 14

Median age

total: 15.3 years | male: 15.2 years | female: 15.4 years (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 229

Mother's mean age at first birth

18.1 | note: median age at first birth among women 25-29 (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Nigerien(s) | adjective: Nigerien

Net migration rate

-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

3.7% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 180

Physicians density

0.02 physicians/1,000 population (2008)

Population

18,638,600 (July 2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 61

Population distribution

majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin

Population growth rate

3.22% (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 4

Religions

Muslim 80%, other (includes indigenous beliefs and Christian) 20%

Sanitation facility access

urban: 37.9% of population | rural: 4.6% of population | total: 10.9% of population | urban: 62.1% of population | rural: 95.4% of population | total: 89.1% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 5 years | male: 6 years | female: 5 years (2012)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.02 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.98 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 1 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female | total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

Total fertility rate

6.62 children born/woman (2016 est.) | country comparison to the world: 1

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 2.3% | male: 4.4% | female: 0.8% (2007 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 18.7% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 5.14% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Disputes - international

Libya claims about 25,000 sq km in a currently dormant dispute in the Tommo region; location of Benin-Niger-Nigeria tripoint is unresolved; only Nigeria and Cameroon have heeded the Lake Chad Commission's admonition to ratify the delimitation treaty that also includes the Chad-Niger and Niger-Nigeria boundaries; the dispute with Burkina Faso was referred to the ICJ in 2010

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 96,940 (Nigeria); 60,792 (Mali) (2016) | IDPs: 137,337 (unknown how many of the 11,000 people displaced by clashes between government forces and the Tuareg militant group, Niger Movement for Justice, in 2007 are still displaced; inter-communal violence; Boko Haram attacks in southern Niger, 2015) (2015)

Airports

30 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 115

Airports - with paved runways

total: 10 | 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 | 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 20 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 | 914 to 1,523 m: 15 | under 914 m: 2 (2013)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

5U (2016)

Heliports

1 (2013)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 2 | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 2 | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 15,242 | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0 mt-km (2015)

Roadways

total: 18,949 km | paved: 3,912 km | unpaved: 15,037 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 114

Waterways

300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2012) | country comparison to the world: 93