Barack Obama’s election as US President was a powerful moment for blacks throughout the world. But away from the symbolism, the development indicators for blacks in the US and other African nations don’t present a happy picture Blacks in the US

Population: 40.2 million or 13.4 per cent. Mississippi has the highest percentage of black population—37 per cent. 31 per cent of the black population is younger than 18 while eight per cent is 65 or older.

EDUCATION: Among blacks who are 25 or older, 81 per cent had at least a high school diploma while 18 per cent had a bachelor’s degree or higher.

Economic status: In 2006, poverty for single-race blacks had fallen: it 24.3 per cent, down from 31.1 per cent in 1986.

Unemployment: In November 2008, in the middle of an economic meltdown, at 11.2 per cent, more blacks were unemployed than whites (6.1 per cent) and Hispanics (8.6 per cent). (US Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Crime: A report released on December 29 said the murder rate among black teenagers has climbed since 2000. In 2000, 539 white and 851 black juveniles committed murder. In 2007, while white teenage crime was 547, for blacks it was 1,142, up 34 per cent, according to James Alan Fox, a criminal justice professor at Northeastern University, and Marc L. Swatt.

OUT OF AFRICA

Big & Small: Nigeria has the largest population (145 million), Seychelles has the smallest (0.1 million).

MALNOURISHMENT: 40 per cent children under the age of five are underweight in Niger; in Gabon, the figure is 8.8 per cent.

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