ISLAMABAD, Oct 10: With an average life expectancy of about 40 years, mortality rate of 25.7 per cent for children under five years old, and with 64 per cent illiteracy rate, Afghanistan ranks among the most destitute, war-weary countries in the world in terms of human development.

According to new analysis of socio-economic indicators for Afghanistan by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Human Development Report Office, 70 per cent of the Afghan population is under-nourished, and only 13 per cent have access to improved water sources.

“In most aspects, Afghanistan is worse off than almost any country in the world. The country’s social and economic indicators are comparable, or lower than the indicators for sub- Saharan Africa,” director of the Human Development Report Office at the UNDP said.

The UNDP indicators show that among 187 countries, only seven have lower life expectancy than Afghanistan, including Sierra Leone and Zambia - countries ravaged by HIV/AIDS or armed conflict.

UNDP indicators show that with less than one-third of children enrolled in schools in 1999, Afghanistan lags behind other countries and regions. Only 14 of 172 countries surveyed have lower school enrolment than Afghanistan, which is the only country in the world that bars girls from attending school.

Due to a lack of available estimate of income per capita, Afghanistan has not appeared in UNDP’s Human Development Index since 1996. It then ranked as number 169 of a total of 174 countries. The HDI is an annual index produced by UNDP’s Human Development Report Office, and is based on indicators for health, education and income.