Niger

republicIndependence 3 August 1960 (from France)

Niger as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 67 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNiamey

Area1,267,000 km2

Populationas each edition published it

7.97 million July 1990 · 27.32m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 3.49% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 16.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 44.15 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

7.4 children per woman 1990 · 6.55 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

131 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 63 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $290 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 1.9% in 1993

Geography

12 fields

Land useshare of 1,267,000 km2

arable land 3%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 7%forest and woodland 2%other 88%includes NEGL% irrigated

Total area

1,267,000km2

land area: 1,266,700 km2Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries

5,697km total

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

Disputes

Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger;
exact locations of the Chad-Niger-Nigeria and Cameroon-Chad-Nigeria tripoints in Lake Chad have not been determined, so the boundary has not been demarcated and border incidents have resulted;
Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

Climate

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

Terrain

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

Natural resources

uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates

Environment

recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities;
overgrazing;
soil erosion

People

14 fields

Population

7,969,309

(July 1990), growth rate 3.6% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

52Death

17Net migration

Ethnic divisions

Hausa 56%Djerma 22%Fula 8.5%Tuareg 8%Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%Arab 1.2%Toubou; and Gourmantche; about 4,000 French expatriates

Labor force

2,500,000wage earners

(1982); 90% agriculture, 6% industry and commerce, 4% government; 51% of population of working age (1985)

Literacy

13.9%

Religion

80% Muslim, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

Government

Republic

17 fields

National Development Council, 150 seats, elected December 1989one dot, one seat

MNSD (indirectly elected) 150

Type

republic; presidential system in which military officers hold key offices

Administrative divisions

7 departments (departements, singular--departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder

Constitution

adopted NA December 1989 after 15 years of military rule

Legal system

based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Executive branch

president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel) Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14 November 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister ALIOU MAHAMIDA (since 2 March 1990)

Political parties and leaders

only party--National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD), leader NA

Suffrage

universal adult at age 18 President--last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1996);
results--President Ali Saibou was reelected without opposition;
National Development Council--last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1994);
results--MNSD is the only party;
seats--(150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected)

Communists

no Communist party; some sympathizers in outlawed Sawaba party

Member of

ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, Lake Chad Basin Commission, Niger River Commission, NAM, OAU, OCAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE;
Chancery at 2204 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 483-4224 through 4227;
US--Ambassador Carl C. CUNDIFF;
Embassy at Avenue des Ambassadeurs, Niamey (mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey);
telephone [227] 72-26-61 through 64 and 72-26-70

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of India which has a blue, spoked wheel centered in the white band

Economy

About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock rearing, activities which generate almost half of the national income.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$2.4billion

per capita $330; real growth rate 7.1% (1988 est.)

External debt

$1.8billion

(December 1989 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$254 millionExpenditures

$510 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $239 million (1988 est.)

Overview

About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock rearing, activities which generate almost half of the national income. The economy also depends heavily on exploitation of large uranium deposits. Uranium production grew rapidly in the mid-1970s, but tapered off in the early 1980s, when world prices declined.

France is a major customer, while FRG, Japan, and Spain also make regular purchases. The depressed demand for uranium has contributed to an overall sluggishness in the economy, a severe trade imbalance, and a mounting external debt.

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

- 1.4% (1988)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$371 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--uranium 76%, livestock, cowpeas, onions, hides, skins;
partners--NA

Imports

$441 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum products, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, cereals, foodstuffs

Industrial production

growth rate 4.7% (1989 est.)

Electricity

102,000 kW capacity; 225 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

cement, brick, rice mills, small cotton gins, oilseed presses, slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium production began in 1971

Agriculture

accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor force;
cash crops--cowpeas, cotton, peanuts;
food crops--millet, sorghum, cassava, rice;
livestock--cattle, sheep, goats;
self-sufficient in food except in drought years

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $349 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.8 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $61 million

Currency

Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates

Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 October-30 September

Communications

5 fields

Airports, 31 total, 29 usable

permanent-surface runways

7runways over 3,659 m

1runways 2,440-3,659 m

1runways 1,220-2,439 m

Highways

39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel and laterite, 3,470 km earthen, 23,000 km tracks

Inland waterways

Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March

Civil air

no major transport aircraft

Telecommunications

small system of wire, radiocommunications, and radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area;
11,900 telephones;
stations--15 AM, 5 FM, 16 TV;
satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 4 domestic

Defense Forces

Army, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, paramilitary Republican Guard, paramilitary Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Police

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

1,656,466fit for military service

894,095reach military age (18) annually

87,478

Defense expenditures

$20.6million

(1988)

Branches