These documents compare economic and social indicators for Malaysia and Tanzania. While both are less economically developed countries, Malaysia has experienced much higher economic growth and made greater progress toward development goals. GDP growth was 6.3% for Malaysia in 2007 compared to a decreased forecast of 7.3% for Tanzania in 2009 due to high inflation and the global financial crisis. Literacy and education enrollment rates are also higher in Malaysia, which is closer to achieving targets to reduce poverty and improve health.

2. These two countries may be less economic developed
countries, but there is a high difference in the amount of
growth that is taking place in both. In one, there is future
hope of it becoming a MEDC, where as in the other, there
is still much more work to be done for it to be even
developing at this stage. The facts and figures on the next
slides is the comparison of what each country has
achieved in the past year.

3. In 2007, real GDP grew by 6.3%, an increase of 0.4% from
the year 2006. The main cause of this growth was mainly
due to domestic demand, where private consumption
grew by 11.7% due to pay increases for government
officials, stable interest rates and favourable commodity
prices. Public consumption also grew by 1.4%, to 6.4% in
2007. FDI rose by 54%, to almost $10 billion. The annual
inflation rate for the year was at 2.7%, a decrease of 0.9%
from 2006. The banking sector remained stagnant as there
were no reports of Malaysian commercial banks affected
by the US sub-prime mortgage crisis.

4. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people
whose income is less than one dollar a day, and the
proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
Malaysia’s poverty has been a mainly rural problem. The graph
below gives details of the number of poor households expressed as
a percentage. It also shows the contribution to this total of urban
and rural households; for example, in 1970, 49.3 per cent of
Malaysian households were below the poverty line. The number of
poor rural households as a percentage of the total number of
households was 44 per cent, the remaining 5.3 per cent being urban.

5. Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls
alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary
schooling.
By 2000, less than 3 in every 100 were illiterate as compared to
1970 where about one-quarter of those aged 15–24.The big gap in
literacy levels that existed between young females and males has
been progressively narrowed, such that by 2000 there were no
gender differentials. Literacy levels among persons aged 10 and
over reached 92 per cent in 2000, with illiteracy confined mainly to
older persons. Improvements in literacy levels are occurring in all
states and differentials are narrowing.

6. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of
education no later than 2015.
Since the beginning of the 1990s, enrolment rates of girls have
been equal to, or have exceeded, those of boys at all levels of
education. At the primary level, where enrolments are universal for
boys and girls there is gender parity. At the lower and upper
secondary level, enrolment rates of girls were higher than those of
boys throughout the period 1991–2003. At the tertiary level, there
has been an increasing trend in enrolment rates of girls, reflecting
in part the much greater number of girls than boys seeking tertiary
qualifications. This in turn is attributable to girls performing better
than boys in public examinations. Gender gaps prevail in terms of
the selection of courses. Girls tend to dominate in the arts,
economics, and business courses but are in a minority in
technical and science-based courses such as engineering.

7. Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-
five mortality rate
There has been a huge reduction in child mortality over the past
three and a half decades. Malaysia’s under-5 mortality rate
declined from 57 to 17 per 1,000 live births between 1970 and
1990 and to 9 in 2000. This represents a reduction of 85 per cent
in three decades. The reduction in infant mortality over the
corresponding period was of much the same magnitude. The
MDG target for child mortality is to reduce the level by two-thirds
between 1990 and 2015. In Malaysia, the fell by just under one
half between 1990 and 2000. Malaysia has thus achieved the low
levels of most highly developed countries, and is highly likely to
achieve the MDG targets well before 2015.

8. The Malaysian economy is expected to expand faster in
2009, with real GDP growth projected at between 6.2%
and 6.5%. Inflation is projected to remain low, as output
growth is below potential level. Furthermore, global
inflation is also seen relaxed by a weaker US dollar,
higher productivity growth and proactive measures taken
by major economies to stop inflation pressures. This year,
GDP growth is projected at 6.4% with inflation at 2%.
However, the effect the global recession that could have
on Malaysia is unknown.

9. In 2007, real GDP growth was 7.1%, and increase of 0.4%
from the year 2006. This is mainly due to the agricultural
sector, as good weather conditions and improved
performance in manufacturing and trade. Most of the
other economic activities recorded higher growth rates
than initially predicted. However, these increases in
growth are no where close to the physical amount the
Malaysia are growing, even though Tanzania has a higher
percentage, due to, for one, inflation rates being too high,
as the figure on the following slide shows

11. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people
whose income is less than one dollar a day, and the
proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
The challenge of translating growth into poverty reduction
remains, pointing to the fact that, it is not only growth that
matters, but also the quality of growth. In the Mainland, the
latest figures indicate a small fall in income poverty during the
1990s from 38.6% to 35.7% in 2001. However, the actual number
of poor people has increased as a result of population growth.
During the same period, food poverty decreased from 22% to
19% . Inequality increased slightly, mainly in urban areas.
While the availability of food as measured by the proportion of
people with access to basic calorie intake is high, malnutrition
in children under five years old has remained the same. The
proportion has been falling over time, though the speed of the
decline has been slow.

12. Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls
alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary
schooling.
Most indicators in education have registered improvement over
time. By 2006, the total had risen to 94.8%. There is near gender
parity with regard to enrolment of girls and boys at the primary
school level. Primary School continuation rates have improved
from 71% in 1997 to 79 % in 2004 in the mainland. The continuation
of girls is slightly better than that of boys. Adult illiteracy remains
high. According to the 2002 Population census data, literacy rate
among age 15+ is 70% (78% for men and 62% for women). Overall,
about 28.6%of Tanzanians cannot read and write in any language.
There is more illiteracy among women (36%) than men (20.4%).
The target of eliminating illiteracy by 2015 remains challenging
particularly for rural women.

13. Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary
education, preferably by 2005, and to all levels of
education no later than 2015.
There are still gender disparities in enrolment at upper secondary
and tertiary levels. Moreover, early pregnancies and marriages
continue to contribute significantly to school drop out among girls
in both rural and urban areas. The target year for this goal was
2005 for primary and secondary level enrolment and 2015 for other
levels of education. For other levels, especially tertiary, the target
will be reached in Tanzania where special programmes have been
designed to increase enrolment of girls and especially in science
subjects. The goal of improving representation by women in
political arena will most likely be achieved. It is encouraging to
note in Tanzania that in addition to representation in Parliament
and the House of Representatives women have been increasingly
selected to high decision-making posts such as Ministers and
Permanent Secretaries. For example, the number of women
Ministers increased from 11% to 15%between 1995 and 2005, while
women Permanent Secretaries increased in number from one in
1995 to seven in 2005.

14. Reduce by two thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-
five mortality rate
Most child deaths are due to malaria, pneumonia, diarrhoea,
malnutrition and complications of low birth weight as well as HIV
and AIDS. Malnutrition is the underlying factor in more than 50%
of child deaths. Neonatal deaths account for 48% of infant
mortality. Census data and those from surveillance sites suggest
a decline in both infant and under-five mortality rate. Under-five
mortality decreased from 191 per a thousand live births in 1990 to
133 in 2005. Infant mortality also declined from 115 (1990) to 68
(2005). The most significant contribution to the reduction of
under-five mortality is improved control measures of malaria,,
diarrhoea; improved personal hygiene, environmental sanitation,
as well as curative health services. With regard to malaria a more
effective drug treatment regime has been introduced. More
children (under 5 years of age) increasingly sleep under nets,
from 21% in 1999 to 36% in 2004. The proportion of children with
fever declined from 35% in 1999 to 23% in 2004.

15. Due to the current global economics situation, there has
been changes made to the forecast of Tanzania’s GDP. It
was initially predicted to grow by 8%, but economists
have decreased that figure to 7.3%. It has also postponed
plans to sell its first sovereign bond as the global financial
crisis cuts demand for its exports and pushes up
borrowing costs. Tanzania had planned to issue a
Eurobond worth at least $500 million by the end of the
year to help improve the country’s transport
infrastructure. Also due to the inflation rates that
occurred in 2008, the economic year for Tanzania in 2009,
looks very bleak.