Present-day Niger originated from the nomadic peoples of the Saharan north and the agriculturalists of the south. The Taureg kingdom of Takedda was one of the largest kingdoms in the north and played a prominent role in regional trade in the 14th century. In the south, the primary ethnic groups were the Songhai-Zarma in the west, the Hausa in the center, and the Kanuri in the east. When European colonizers arrived in the 19th century, the region was an assemblage of disparate local kingdoms.
In the late 19th century, the British and French agreed to partition the middle regions of the Niger River, and France began its conquest of what would become the colony of Niger. France experienced determined local resistance - particularly during the Tuareg uprising (1916-1917) - but established a colonial administration in 1922.
After achieving independence from France in 1960, Niger experienced single-party or military rule until 1991 when political pressure forced General Ali SAIBOU to allow multiparty elections. Political infighting and democratic backsliding led to coups in 1996 and 1999. In December of that year, military officers restored democratic rule and held elections that brought Mamadou TANDJA to power. TANDJA was reelected in 2004 and spearheaded a 2009 constitutional amendment allowing him to extend his presidential term. In February 2010, military officers led another coup that deposed TANDJA. ISSOUFOU Mahamadou was elected in April 2011 and reelected in early 2016. In February 2021, BAZOUM Mohammed won the presidential election, marking Niger’s first transition from one democratically elected president to another.
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world with minimal government services and insufficient funds to develop its resource base. It is ranked last in the world on the UN Development Programme's Human Development Index. The largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. The Nigerien Government continues its attempts to diversify the economy through increased oil production and mining projects. In addition, Niger is facing increased security concerns on its borders from various external threats including insecurity in Libya, spillover from the conflict and terrorism in Mali, and violent extremism in northeastern Nigeria.
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.
" }, "Age structure": { "0-14 years": { "text": "50.58% (male 5,805,102/female 5,713,815)" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "19.99% (male 2,246,670/female 2,306,285)" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "23.57% (male 2,582,123/female 2,784,464)" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "3.17% (male 357,832/female 364,774)" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "2.68% (male 293,430/female 317,866) (2020 est.)" } }, "Dependency ratios": { "total dependency ratio": { "text": "109.5" }, "youth dependency ratio": { "text": "104.1" }, "elderly dependency ratio": { "text": "5.4" }, "potential support ratio": { "text": "18.4 (2020 est.)" } }, "Median age": { "total": { "text": "14.8 years" }, "male": { "text": "14.5 years" }, "female": { "text": "15.1 years (2020 est.)" } }, "Population growth rate": { "text": "3.66% (2022 est.)" }, "Birth rate": { "text": "47.08 births/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Death rate": { "text": "9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Net migration rate": { "text": "-0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2022 est.)" }, "Population distribution": { "text": "majority of the populace is located in the southernmost extreme of the country along the border with Nigeria and Benin as shown in this population distribution map" }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "16.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Major urban areas - population": { "text": "1.384 million NIAMEY (capital) (2022)" }, "Sex ratio": { "at birth": { "text": "1.03 male(s)/female" }, "0-14 years": { "text": "1.02 male(s)/female" }, "15-24 years": { "text": "0.97 male(s)/female" }, "25-54 years": { "text": "0.92 male(s)/female" }, "55-64 years": { "text": "0.97 male(s)/female" }, "65 years and over": { "text": "0.81 male(s)/female" }, "total population": { "text": "0.98 male(s)/female (2022 est.)" } }, "Mother's mean age at first birth": { "text": "20.4 years (2012 est.)", "note": "note: median age at first birth among women 25-49" }, "Maternal mortality ratio": { "text": "509 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)" }, "Infant mortality rate": { "total": { "text": "66.81 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "male": { "text": "71.73 deaths/1,000 live births" }, "female": { "text": "61.75 deaths/1,000 live births (2022 est.)" } }, "Life expectancy at birth": { "total population": { "text": "60.09 years" }, "male": { "text": "58.55 years" }, "female": { "text": "61.68 years (2022 est.)" } }, "Total fertility rate": { "text": "6.82 children born/woman (2022 est.)" }, "Contraceptive prevalence rate": { "text": "11% (2017/18)" }, "Drinking water source": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 95.8% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 63.1% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 68.6% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 4.2% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 36.9% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 31.4% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "Current Health Expenditure": { "text": "5.7% (2019)" }, "Physicians density": { "text": "0.04 physicians/1,000 population (2016)" }, "Hospital bed density": { "text": "0.4 beds/1,000 population (2017)" }, "Sanitation facility access": { "improved: urban": { "text": "urban: 81.9% of population" }, "improved: rural": { "text": "rural: 13.5% of population" }, "improved: total": { "text": "total: 24.8% of population" }, "unimproved: urban": { "text": "urban: 18.1% of population" }, "unimproved: rural": { "text": "rural: 86.5% of population" }, "unimproved: total": { "text": "total: 75.2% of population (2020 est.)" } }, "HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "0.2% (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS": { "text": "31,000 (2020 est.)" }, "HIV/AIDS - deaths": { "text": "1,100 (2020 est.)" }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "very high (2020)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever" }, "vectorborne diseases": { "text": "malaria and dengue fever" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" }, "animal contact diseases": { "text": "rabies" }, "respiratory diseases": { "text": "meningococcal meningitis" }, "note": "note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Niger is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine" }, "Obesity - adult prevalence rate": { "text": "5.5% (2016)" }, "Children under the age of 5 years underweight": { "text": "31.3% (2019)" }, "Education expenditures": { "text": "3.5% of GDP (2019)" }, "Literacy": { "definition": { "text": "age 15 and over can read and write" }, "total population": { "text": "35.1%" }, "male": { "text": "43.6%" }, "female": { "text": "26.7% (2018)" } }, "School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)": { "total": { "text": "6 years" }, "male": { "text": "7 years" }, "female": { "text": "6 years (2017)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "16.6%" }, "male": { "text": "16.1%" }, "female": { "text": "17.5% (2017 est.)" } } }, "Environment": { "Environment - current issues": { "text": "overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; contaminated water; inadequate potable water; wildlife populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, giraffe, and lion) threatened because of poaching and habitat destruction" }, "Environment - international agreements": { "party to": { "text": "Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands" }, "signed, but not ratified": { "text": "none of the selected agreements" } }, "Air pollutants": { "particulate matter emissions": { "text": "70.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)" }, "carbon dioxide emissions": { "text": "2.02 megatons (2016 est.)" }, "methane emissions": { "text": "22.99 megatons (2020 est.)" } }, "Climate": { "text": "desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south" }, "Land use": { "agricultural land": { "text": "35.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: arable land": { "text": "arable land: 12.3% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent crops": { "text": "permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.)" }, "agricultural land: permanent pasture": { "text": "permanent pasture: 22.7% (2018 est.)" }, "forest": { "text": "1% (2018 est.)" }, "other": { "text": "63.9% (2018 est.)" } }, "Urbanization": { "urban population": { "text": "16.9% of total population (2022)" }, "rate of urbanization": { "text": "4.72% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)" } }, "Revenue from forest resources": { "forest revenues": { "text": "4.41% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Revenue from coal": { "coal revenues": { "text": "0.03% of GDP (2018 est.)" } }, "Major infectious diseases": { "degree of risk": { "text": "very high (2020)" }, "food or waterborne diseases": { "text": "bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever" }, "vectorborne diseases": { "text": "malaria and dengue fever" }, "water contact diseases": { "text": "schistosomiasis" }, "animal contact diseases": { "text": "rabies" }, "respiratory diseases": { "text": "meningococcal meningitis" }, "note": "note: on 21 March 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Travel Alert for polio in Africa; Niger is currently considered a high risk to travelers for polio; the CDC recommends that before any international travel, anyone unvaccinated, incompletely vaccinated, or with an unknown polio vaccination status should complete the routine polio vaccine series; before travel to any high-risk destination, CDC recommends that adults who previously completed the full, routine polio vaccine series receive a single, lifetime booster dose of polio vaccine" }, "Food insecurity": { "widespread lack of access": { "text": "due to civil conflict - according to the latest analysis, about 2.3 million people are assessed to need humanitarian assistance in the June−August 2021 period due to the increase in security incidents which have resulted in widespread disruption of agricultural and marketing activities, diminishing livelihood opportunities for households (2021)" } }, "Waste and recycling": { "municipal solid waste generated annually": { "text": "1,865,646 tons (1993 est.)" }, "municipal solid waste recycled annually": { "text": "74,626 tons (2005 est.)" }, "percent of municipal solid waste recycled": { "text": "4% (2005 est.)" } }, "Major lakes (area sq km)": { "Fresh water lake(s)": { "text": "Lake Chad (endorheic lake shared with Chad, Nigeria, and Cameroon) - 10,360-25,900 sq kmNiger is a landlocked, Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Agriculture contributes approximately 40% of GDP and provides livelihood for over 80% of the population. The UN ranked Niger as the second least developed country in the world in 2016 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, as well as due to increased security spending. 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 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.
The Government of Niger plans to exploit oil, gold, coal, and other mineral resources to sustain future growth. Although Niger has sizable reserves of oil, the prolonged drop in oil prices has reduced profitability. Food insecurity and drought remain perennial problems for Niger, and the government plans to invest more in irrigation. Niger’s three-year $131 million IMF Extended Credit Facility (ECF) agreement for the years 2012-15 was extended until the end of 2016. In February 2017, the IMF approved a new 3-year $134 million ECF. In June 2017, The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) granted Niger $1 billion over three years for IDA18, a program to boost the country’s development and alleviate poverty. A $437 million Millennium Challenge Account compact for Niger, commencing in FY18, will focus on large-scale irrigation infrastructure development and community-based, climate-resilient agriculture, while promoting sustainable increases in agricultural productivity and sales.
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. Although President ISSOUFOU is courting foreign investors, including those from the US, as of April 2017, there were no US firms operating in Niger. In November 2017, the National Assembly passed the 2018 Finance Law that was geared towards raising government revenues and moving away from international support.
" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity)": { "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020": { "text": "$28.97 billion (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019": { "text": "$28.54 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018": { "text": "$26.95 billion (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "Real GDP growth rate": { "Real GDP growth rate 2017": { "text": "4.9% (2017 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2016": { "text": "4.9% (2016 est.)" }, "Real GDP growth rate 2015": { "text": "4.3% (2015 est.)" } }, "Real GDP per capita": { "Real GDP per capita 2020": { "text": "$1,200 (2020 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2019": { "text": "$1,200 (2019 est.)" }, "Real GDP per capita 2018": { "text": "$1,200 (2018 est.)" }, "note": "note: data are in 2017 dollars" }, "GDP (official exchange rate)": { "text": "$12.926 billion (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices)": { "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019": { "text": "-2.5% (2019 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018": { "text": "6.3% (2018 est.)" }, "Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017": { "text": "2.3% (2017 est.)" } }, "Credit ratings": { "Moody's rating": { "text": "B3 (2019)" } }, "GDP - composition, by sector of origin": { "agriculture": { "text": "41.6% (2017 est.)" }, "industry": { "text": "19.5% (2017 est.)" }, "services": { "text": "38.7% (2017 est.)" } }, "GDP - composition, by end use": { "household consumption": { "text": "70.2% (2017 est.)" }, "government consumption": { "text": "9.4% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in fixed capital": { "text": "38.6% (2017 est.)" }, "investment in inventories": { "text": "0% (2017 est.)" }, "exports of goods and services": { "text": "16.4% (2017 est.)" }, "imports of goods and services": { "text": "-34.6% (2017 est.)" } }, "Agricultural products": { "text": "millet, cow peas, sorghum, onions, milk, groundnuts, cassava, cabbages, goat milk, fruit" }, "Industries": { "text": "uranium mining, petroleum, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses" }, "Industrial production growth rate": { "text": "6% (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force": { "text": "6.5 million (2017 est.)" }, "Labor force - by occupation": { "agriculture": { "text": "79.2%" }, "industry": { "text": "3.3%" }, "services": { "text": "17.5% (2012 est.)" } }, "Unemployment rate": { "Unemployment rate 2017": { "text": "0.3% (2017 est.)" }, "Unemployment rate 2016": { "text": "0.3% (2016 est.)" } }, "Unemployment, youth ages 15-24": { "total": { "text": "16.6%" }, "male": { "text": "16.1%" }, "female": { "text": "17.5% (2017 est.)" } }, "Population below poverty line": { "text": "40.8% (2018 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income": { "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2014": { "text": "34.3 (2014 est.)" }, "Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 1995": { "text": "50.5 (1995)" } }, "Household income or consumption by percentage share": { "lowest 10%": { "text": "3.2%" }, "highest 10%": { "text": "26.8% (2014)" } }, "Budget": { "revenues": { "text": "1.757 billion (2017 est.)" }, "expenditures": { "text": "2.171 billion (2017 est.)" } }, "Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)": { "text": "-5% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt": { "Public debt 2017": { "text": "45.3% of GDP (2017 est.)" }, "Public debt 2016": { "text": "45.2% of GDP (2016 est.)" } }, "Taxes and other revenues": { "text": "21.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)" }, "Fiscal year": { "text": "calendar year" }, "Current account balance": { "Current account balance 2017": { "text": "-$1.16 billion (2017 est.)" }, "Current account balance 2016": { "text": "-$1.181 billion (2016 est.)" } }, "Exports": { "Exports 2019": { "text": "$1.39 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Exports 2018": { "text": "$1.45 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Exports - partners": { "text": "United Arab Emirates 54%, China 25%, France 7%, Pakistan 5% (2019)" }, "Exports - commodities": { "text": "gold, sesame seeds, uranium, natural gas, refined petroleum (2019)" }, "Imports": { "Imports 2019": { "text": "$3.4 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)" }, "Imports 2018": { "text": "$3.37 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)" } }, "Imports - partners": { "text": "China 19%, France 9%, United Arab Emirates 7%, Cote d'Ivoire 6%, India 6%, Nigeria 5%, Togo 5%, Turkey 5% (2019)" }, "Imports - commodities": { "text": "rice, packaged medicines, palm oil, cars, cement (2019)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold": { "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017": { "text": "$1.314 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2016": { "text": "$1.186 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Debt - external": { "Debt - external 31 December 2017": { "text": "$3.728 billion (31 December 2017 est.)" }, "Debt - external 31 December 2016": { "text": "$2.926 billion (31 December 2016 est.)" } }, "Exchange rates": { "currency": { "text": "Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar -" }, "Exchange rates 2017": { "text": "605.3 (2017 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2016": { "text": "593.01 (2016 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2015": { "text": "593.01 (2015 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2014": { "text": "591.45 (2014 est.)" }, "Exchange rates 2013": { "text": "494.42 (2013 est.)" } } }, "Energy": { "Electricity access": { "electrification - total population": { "text": "14% (2019)" }, "electrification - urban areas": { "text": "71% (2019)" }, "electrification - rural areas": { "text": "2% (2019)" } }, "Electricity - production": { "text": "494.7 million kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - consumption": { "text": "1.065 billion kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - exports": { "text": "0 kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - imports": { "text": "779 million kWh (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - installed generating capacity": { "text": "184,000 kW (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from fossil fuels": { "text": "95% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)" }, "Electricity - from nuclear fuels": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from hydroelectric plants": { "text": "0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Electricity - from other renewable sources": { "text": "5% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)" }, "Crude oil - production": { "text": "9,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)" }, "Crude oil - exports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - imports": { "text": "0 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Crude oil - proved reserves": { "text": "150 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - production": { "text": "15,280 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - consumption": { "text": "14,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - exports": { "text": "5,422 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Refined petroleum products - imports": { "text": "3,799 bbl/day (2015 est.)" }, "Natural gas - production": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - consumption": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - exports": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - imports": { "text": "0 cu m (2017 est.)" }, "Natural gas - proved reserves": { "text": "0 cu m (1 January 2016 est.)" } }, "Communications": { "Telephones - fixed lines": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "114,352 (2018)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "less than 1 (2018 est.)" } }, "Telephones - mobile cellular": { "total subscriptions": { "text": "8,778,880 (2018)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "40.64 (2019 est.)" } }, "Telecommunication systems": { "general assessment": { "text": "difficult economic climate, with lack of fixed telecom infrastructure; mobile services stronger than fixed telecom; low broadband penetration; adopted free mobile roaming with other G5 Sahel countries; World Bank project to facilitate digital progress; government contributes to Trans-Sahara Backbone network, with aims to extend fiber-optic and international capacity; LTE license awarded; government substantially taxes telecom sector (2020)" }, "domestic": { "text": "fixed-line less than 1 per 100 persons and mobile-cellular teledensity at nearly 41 per 100 persons; a rapidly increasing cellular subscribership base; small system of wire, radio telephone communications, and microwave radio relay links concentrated in southwestern Niger; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations and 1 planned (2019)" }, "international": { "text": "country code - 227; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)" }, "note": "note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments" }, "Broadcast media": { "text": "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" }, "Internet country code": { "text": ".ne" }, "Internet users": { "total": { "text": "3.36 million (2021 est.)" }, "percent of population": { "text": "10.22% (2019 est.)" } }, "Broadband - fixed subscriptions": { "total": { "text": "12,000 (2021 est.)" }, "subscriptions per 100 inhabitants": { "text": "0.05 less than 1 (2021 est.)" } } }, "Transportation": { "National air transport system": { "number of registered air carriers": { "text": "2 (2020)" }, "inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers": { "text": "3" } }, "Civil aircraft registration country code prefix": { "text": "5U" }, "Airports": { "total": { "text": "30 (2021)" } }, "Airports - with paved runways": { "total": { "text": "10" }, "2,438 to 3,047 m": { "text": "3" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "6" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "1 (2021)" } }, "Airports - with unpaved runways": { "total": { "text": "20" }, "1,524 to 2,437 m": { "text": "3" }, "914 to 1,523 m": { "text": "15" }, "under 914 m": { "text": "2 (2021)" } }, "Heliports": { "text": "1 (2021)" }, "Pipelines": { "text": "464 km oil" }, "Roadways": { "total": { "text": "18,949 km (2010)" }, "paved": { "text": "3,912 km (2010)" }, "unpaved": { "text": "15,037 km (2010)" } }, "Waterways": { "text": "300 km (the Niger, the only major river, is navigable to Gaya between September and March) (2012)" }, "Merchant marine": { "total": { "text": "1" }, "by type": { "text": "general cargo 1 (2021)" } } }, "Military and Security": { "Military and security forces": { "text": "Nigerien Armed Forces (Forces Armees Nigeriennes, FAN): Army, Nigerien Air Force, Niger Gendarmerie (GN); Ministry of Interior, Public Security, Decentralization, and Customary and Religious Affairs: Niger National Guard (GNN; aka Republican Guard), National Police (includes the Directorate of Territorial Surveillance, which is charged with border management) (2021)", "note": "note - the Gendarmerie is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense and has primary responsibility for rural security; the National Guard is responsible for domestic security and the protection of high-level officials and government buildings" }, "Military expenditures": { "Military Expenditures 2020": { "text": "2.1% of GDP (2020 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2019": { "text": "1.7% of GDP (approximately $260 million) (2019 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2018": { "text": "1.9% of GDP (approximately $270 million) (2018 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2017": { "text": "2% of GDP (approximately $270 million) (2017 est.)" }, "Military Expenditures 2016": { "text": "1.6% of GDP (approximately $210 million) (2016 est.)" } }, "Military and security service personnel strengths": { "text": "information varies; approximately 10,000 active troops (est. 6,000 Army; 200 Air Force; 4,000 Gendarmerie); est. 3,000 National Guard (2021)" }, "Military equipment inventories and acquisitions": { "text": "the FAN's inventory consists of a wide variety of older weapons; since 2010, the FAN has received small amounts of mostly second-hand equipment and donations from several countries with the US as the top provider (2021)" }, "Military service age and obligation": { "text": "has conscription, although it is reportedly not always enforced; 18 is the 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 (2021)" }, "Military deployments": { "text": "870 Mali (MINUSMA) (Feb 2022)", "note": "note(s) - Niger is part of a five-nation anti-jihadist task force known as the G5 Sahel Group, set up in 2014 with Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, and Chad; it has committed 1,100 troops and 200 gendarmes to the force; in early 2020, G5 Sahel military chiefs of staff agreed to allow defense forces from each of the states to pursue terrorist fighters up to 100 km into neighboring countries; the G5 force is backed by the UN, US, and France; G5 troops periodically conduct joint operations with French forces deployed to the Sahel under Operation BarkhaneLibya 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)": { "text": "187,146 (Nigeria), 61,534 (Mali) (2022)" }, "IDPs": { "text": "264,257 (includes the regions of Diffa, Tillaberi, and Tahoua; 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) (2022)" } }, "Illicit drugs": { "text": "a transit point for illicit drugs narcotics trafficked through the Sahara; drugs from South America, particularly cocaine, heroin, cannabis products, and synthetic drugs, transit en route to European and Middle Eastern markets; synthetic opioid tramadol is shipped from Nigeria through Niger to other African countries; hashish from Morocco is trafficked to Libya, Egypt, Europe, and the Middle East; traffickers are formalized networks of Arab, Tuareg, and Toubou transportation groups
" } } }