A/HRC/7/67 page 5 I. OVERVIEW OF THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SITUATION 1. According to basic indicators including life expectancy at birth, combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary schools, under-five mortality rates and population undernourishment, Liberia is currently one of the least developed countries in the world. 2. The country’s total population is 3.2 million (2005).1 It is largely composed of 18 major indigenous ethnic groups living alongside a small number of Americo-Liberians and Congo people. The history of Liberia has been marked by a concentration of political power, economic resources and social advantages in the hands of Americo-Liberians, who represent 3 per cent of the population. 3. The great majority of Liberians live in poverty: 76.2 per cent of the population live below the international poverty line of $1 a day, and approximately half of the population is living in extreme poverty (less than $0.50 a day). 4. At the national level, life expectancy at birth is 42.5 years, as measured during the period 2000-2005. The under-five mortality rate was 235 per 1,000 live births in 2004. For reasons such as the lack of education and awareness of family planning, the total fertility rate in rural areas (6.2 births) is considerably higher than the rate in urban areas (3.8 births). The population of the country is mainly concentrated in rural areas, which account for 68 per cent of the population. 5. The illiteracy rate is a staggering 63 per cent; 73 per cent of women are illiterate, compared to 50 per cent of men. There is also rural-urban disparity: only approximately 25 per cent of the rural population can read and write. II. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS A. Security and political situation 6. Considerable progress has been made in improving security and fulfilling some aspects of civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights. The lifting of sanctions by the Security Council on diamond and timber has reopened sources of income to the private sector and increased the tax base available to the Government. This should enhance its ability to progressively implement economic, social and cultural rights. 7. Divisions still exist among communities over issues concerning land, property and religion. The cleavages within Liberian society are considerable; they derive from perceptions of the lack of legitimacy of certain identities and religious faiths as authentically Liberian. The perception of Liberia as a Christian State persists, as does resistance to the acceptance of the Mandingo identity as legitimately Liberian. Ethnic-based discrimination has become more 1 All human development index data are taken from the Human Development Report 2006, United Nations Development Programme, ISBN 0-230-50058-7. Available from http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2006/.