摘要：

Malawi real GDP growth has averaged about 7 percent since 2005, with a peak of 9.7 percent in 2008. The country has made steady progress in a number of Millennium Development Goal indicators: life expectancy has improved to 52.2 years in 2009 from less than 40 at the turn of the century; HIV prevalence is now at 12 percent down from 14 percent; food security has significantly improved. Malawi is likely to achieve 5 out of 8 MDGS—with gender inequality, universal primary education and maternal mortality unlikely to be met. Nearly two-thirds of the population still subsists on less than US$1.25 per day. Malawi's large share of youth population (46 percent of the country population is younger than 15 years old2) provides a window of opportunity for high growth and poverty reduction—the demographic dividend. For this opportunity to result in accelerated growth, the government needs to invest more in the human capital formation of its youth. This is especially important in a context of decelerated growth rate arising from the global recession. Gender equality and women's empowerment are important for improving reproductive health. Higher levels of women's autonomy, education, wages, and labor market participation are associated with improved reproductive health outcomes. In Malawi, the literacy rate among females ages 15 and above is 66 percent. Fewer girls are enrolled in secondary schools compared to boys with a 84.8 percent ratio of female to male secondary enrollment. Three-fourths of adult women participate in the labor force that mostly involves work in agriculture. Gender inequalities are reflected in the country's human development ranking; Malawi ranks 143 of 157 countries in the Genderrelated Development Index. Greater human capital for women will not translate into greater reproductive choice if women lack access to reproductive health services. It is thus important to ensure that health systems provide a basic package of reproductive health services, including family planning.

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