In 2004, an estimated 63 % of Mozambique’s population lived in rural areas (Aquastat 2005). Only 52% of the population was considered to be economically active and 80 % of the economically active population was involved in agricultural (see also Distribution of Economic Activities)(Aquastat 2005). According to the 1997 Statistical Yearbook, around 50 % of the urban population and 70 % of the rural population live in absolute poverty.
An estimated 1,3 million people live in the Limpopo River basin in Mozambique. The majority of the population is found in the province of Gaza, and depending on the definition of an urban area, anywhere from 75 to 93 % of the population living in this province is considered to be rural (FAO 2004). The province on Inhambane also falls in the basin and the average population growth of Inhambane and Gaza provinces is 2,2 % (LBPTC 2010).
The density of people living within the Limpopo River basin varies from 1 person/km² in the Chigubo District to over 100 persons/km² in the Xai-Xai District. Population density decreases as you move further inland from the coast and away from the Chokwé area.
THE MAJORITY OF THE BASIN POPULATION IN MOZAMBIQUE LEAD A RURAL LIFESTYLE. SOURCE: QWIST-HOFFMANN 2010
Key Indicators
HIV/AIDS is only now starting to level-off in Mozambique, with an estimated prevalence of 15 % among the population aged 15-49 (UNICEF 2009). The Human Development Index (HDI) for Mozambique is 0,402, ranking the country 172nd out of 182 countries with available data (UNDP HDR 2009). The Gini index (poverty/inequality) for Mozambique in the 2007/2008 Human Development Report is 47,1 (World Bank 2009).
THE PROVINCES OF MOZAMBIQUE FOUND IN THE BASIN. SOURCE: HATFIELD 2010
