Home Economics
by Jane Sutton-RednerIn the United States, homes are our castles - spacious places of comfort with all the modern conveniences. But for many people in developing countries, their "castles" may be merely a roof over their heads.
The Shelter Squeeze
Rent chews up a large percentage of some city dwellers' paychecks.
| Location | % of income spent on rent |
| Guatemala City, Guatemala | 85 |
| Lahore, Pakistan | 69 |
| Monrovia, Liberia | 57.6 |
| Hanoi, Vietnam | 55 |
| Delhi, India | 44 |
| Arusha, Tanzania | 30 |
| New York, United States | 20 |
Source: Global Urban Observatory, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
Cramped Quarters
Peeking into households abroad reveals smaller, more crowded homes than in the United States.
| Country | Households (millions) | Average household size (people) | Average number of rooms per housing unit |
| Malawi | 1.8 | 4.3 | 2.3 |
| Peru | 4.2 | 5.2 | 2.7 |
| Romania | 7.3 | 3.1 | 2.5 |
| United States | 94.3 | 2.6 | 5.4 |
Source: Human Settlements Basic Statistics, 1997 by United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat)
Unequal Access
Almost a third of the people in the developing world lack access to safe water.
| Region | % of population without access to safe water | % of population without access to sanitation |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 48 | 55 |
| Arab states | 21 | 30 |
| South Asia | 18 | 64 |
| East Asia | 32 | 73 |
| Southeast Asia and Pacific | 35 | 45 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | 23 | 29 |
| All developing countries | 29 | 58 |
Source: United Nations Human Development Report, 1998
Compiled by Jane Sutton-Redner
Copyright 2000 World Vision Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission. 1-888-511-6598 http://www.worldvision.org
Unless otherwise noted, all materials on the urbana.org web site are Copyright InterVarsity Christian Fellowship / USA. All rights reserved.
Print
Email
Comments
Be the first one to add a comment.
To post a comment, please login or register