Northern Africa

• The region is approaching the target of cutting extreme poverty by half by 2015. Between 1990 and 2004, the poverty rate in Northern Africa fell from 2.6% to 1.4%.

• At the same time, income inequality was the lowest among all developing nations.

• The region is well on its way to meeting the 2015 target on making primary education available to boys and girls, with enrolment ratios already at 95%.

• The region’s weakest performance was on the MDG of ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of women. The share of women among paid workers outside the agricultural sector has been stalled at 20% since 1990.

• In 2007, an average of only 8% of parliamentary seats were occupied by women, although there was a marked progress in Morocco and Tunisia