While we wait on the outcome of the Zimbabwe elections – a topic upon which I've mused of late – I was drawn to an interesting little factbox on the Reuters internets the other day that puts some of the current issues faced by Zimbabweans in a little perspective. The full list is more comprehensive, but the things that jumped out to me included:
- Average life expectancy dropped from 63 in 1990, to 37 in 2005.
- Zimbabwe's mortality rate for children under five was 76 deaths out of every 1,000 in 1990, and increased to 105 in 2006.
- The World Food Program estimates that 45 percent of the population are malnourished.
- The price of a loaf of bread two weeks ago was about ZMD$6.6 million on the official market, and around ZMD$15 million on the black market. This compares to October of last year, where a loaf went for ZMD$100,000, in 2003 ZMD$1,000 and in 1998 ZMD$5.
One might guess that sandwiches are presently off the menu in Harare!
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