How many orphans are there?
“We wanted to stay together after our parents and grandparents died of AIDS. I want to go back to school, but there is no money… I must work hard to get a good life and look after myself not to get the disease my mother and father had.” - Felix, 15 years old, the sole income earner in a household that includes his five younger siblings and an 80-year-old great uncle.
I heard the number of orphaned and abandoned children was 100 million. I've used that number for over a year. Recently, I used Google to find out how many orphans really exist. The estimates range from 12 million to 143 million. I guess the estimate range is so wide because there is no good census on orphans. The main causes are famine, HIV, conflicts, and neglect.
According to World Resource Institute in 1999, the estimated number of HIV orphans was over 13 million. Current estimates are around 20 million. By 2010, the entire world will have 44 million orphans, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. To go from 13 million to 44 million in just 11 years means about 3 million new orphans each year.
But AVERT says there was 15 million orphans worldwide last year. And that by 2010, there will be only 15.7 million. Very different numbers from WRI.
An estimate from UNICEF shows over 100 million orphans alive today. Even though they are decreasing in Asia and Latin America, they are increasing in Africa. (You have to click on a chart from that link to see the actual numbers.) This is the only site to show decreasing numbers for Asia and Latin America.
Catholic Relief Services claims we have 12 million now, and will reach 40 million by 2010.
FICE says there were 143 million orphans on the planet back in 2004.
After 30 minutes of reading about this, I have less confidence in knowing the actual number of orphans now than before.
I do know that each time I travelled to the Middle East or South Asia, I've seen hundreds or even thousands of street orphans.
I heard the number of orphaned and abandoned children was 100 million. I've used that number for over a year. Recently, I used Google to find out how many orphans really exist. The estimates range from 12 million to 143 million. I guess the estimate range is so wide because there is no good census on orphans. The main causes are famine, HIV, conflicts, and neglect.
According to World Resource Institute in 1999, the estimated number of HIV orphans was over 13 million. Current estimates are around 20 million. By 2010, the entire world will have 44 million orphans, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. To go from 13 million to 44 million in just 11 years means about 3 million new orphans each year.
But AVERT says there was 15 million orphans worldwide last year. And that by 2010, there will be only 15.7 million. Very different numbers from WRI.
An estimate from UNICEF shows over 100 million orphans alive today. Even though they are decreasing in Asia and Latin America, they are increasing in Africa. (You have to click on a chart from that link to see the actual numbers.) This is the only site to show decreasing numbers for Asia and Latin America.
Catholic Relief Services claims we have 12 million now, and will reach 40 million by 2010.
FICE says there were 143 million orphans on the planet back in 2004.
After 30 minutes of reading about this, I have less confidence in knowing the actual number of orphans now than before.
I do know that each time I travelled to the Middle East or South Asia, I've seen hundreds or even thousands of street orphans.