World Development Indicators 2013

Page 103

Middle East & North Africa: Military spending share continues to rise Demanding open government and good governance from their head

Military spending (% of GDP)

of states, citizens of countries in the Middle East and North Africa

4

brought about the Arab Spring in late 2010 and 2011. Although it is still too soon to estimate the effects of the turbulent years, there 3

are signs of higher military spending and arms imports. From 2010 to 2011 all regions except the Middle East and North Africa reduced military spending as a share of gross domestic product (GDP). ­Algeria

2

increased military spending from 3.5 percent of GDP in 2010 to 4.6 percent in 2011, and Tunisia from 1.2 percent of GDP in 2010

2010

(6.8 percent), both high-income economies, spend the most on the 0

military, followed by Iraq (5.1 percent), Jordan (4.7 percent), and Leba-

2011

1

to 1.3 percent in 2011. Saudi Arabia (8.4 percent of GDP) and Israel

Europe & Central Asia

East Asia & Pacific

non (4.4 percent).

Middle East & North Africa

Latin America & Caribbean

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Source: Online table 5.7.

South Asia: Mobile phone access growing rapidly Mobile phone subscriptions have roughly doubled every two years since 2002 and now exceed the number of fixed-line subscriptions in 2002. By the end of 2011 there were 5.9 billion mobile phone

Mobile phone subscriptions (per 100 people) 150 Europe & Central Asia

subscriptions worldwide, almost one for every person if distributed equally. Developing economies have lagged behind, but they are catching up. Sub-­S aharan Africa, where 53 per 100 people have mobile

Latin America & Caribbean 100

Middle East & North Africa

phone subscriptions, started far behind but has reached the same

High income

subscription rate as high-income economies did 11 years ago. South Asia is only eight years behind. In recent years South Asia has had the largest growth in mobile subscription coverage among developing

East Asia & Pacific 50 Sub-Saharan Africa

regions, with 69 mobile phone subscriptions per 100 people in 2011, up from 8 in 2005. 0

South Asia 2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010 2011

Source: Online table 5.11.

Sub-­Saharan Africa: Growth with good policies The World Bank’s Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) score reflects country performance in promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. Data for Sub-­Saharan countries show a positive

Average GDP growth, 2006–11 (%) 15

association between average CPIA score and average GDP growth over 2006–11. In 2011 the region’s average CPIA score for International Development Association countries was 3.2 on a scale of 1 (low) to

10

6 (high). The regional average masks the wide variation across countries, from 2.2 in Eritrea and Zimbabwe to 4.0 in Cape Verde. For several countries the policy environment is the best in recent years.

5

Thirteen countries saw an improvement in the 2011 score by at least 0.1, 20 countries saw no change, and 5 saw a decline of 0.1 or more (World Bank 2012).

0 2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

Average CPIA score, 2006–11 (1, low, to 6, high) Source: Online table 5.9.

Economy

States and markets

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World Development Indicators 2013 81


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