The development of social conditions has been strongly dependent on political developments since the liberation in 1968. The dictator Nguema’s rule in the 1970s caused persecution of minorities, collapse of health care and economic poverty. This led to difficult conditions for large sections of the population. Conditions have improved in recent years, but health care is still poorly developed and there is a shortage of healthcare personnel. In 2004, there were three doctors and a total of five nurses and midwives per 10,000 residents. Child mortality has increased in recent years. About 19 percent of young children were malnourished. The sanitary conditions in the country are substandard, which means that infectious and parasitic diseases such as malaria, typhoid and dysentery are widespread. Malaria harvests most victims. The number of AIDS victims has increased in recent years, mainly because of prostitution and ignorance of how the disease spreads. In 2005, approximately 9,000 people were estimated to live with AIDS.
Two-thirds of Equatorial Guinea’s population lives on less than two dollars a day. Visit AbbreviationFinder to see the definitions of GNQ and acronym for Equatorial Guinea. Gender inequality is high, but Equatorial Guinea has not ratified any of the UN conventions on gender equality in marriage, working life or education. Human trafficking is also a major problem. Above all, children from neighboring countries Benin and Nigeria are sold as workers in the cities or forced to prostitute themselves. Equatorial Guinea has initiated cooperation with the UN to rectify the problem, but it has not yet produced any noticeable results.