Johannesburg - The level of illiteracy in South Africa is higher than Zimbabwe's.
And the life expectancy of people in South Africa is lower than Africa's average and even that of war-torn Iraq.
These are some of the statistics contained in a report released on Wednesday by the United Nations Population Fund on the state of the world population in 2008.
Illiteracy among South African men and women over 15-years-old is 16% and 19% respectively.
This is significantly higher than Zimbabwe's, where the figures are 7% and 14% respectively.
Presently, the average life expectancy of men worldwide is 65.1 years and that of women 69.6 years.
In Africa as a whole, the life expectancy of men is 51.9 years and that of women 53.9 years.
But in South Africa, it is a mere 48.8 years for men and 49.6 years for women.
In Iraq these figures are 58.4 and 62.1 years respectively, and in Australia 79 and 83.7 years.
The report also shows that underdeveloped countries are responsible for most births in the world.
In developed countries, 23 babies are born for every 1 000 girls between 15 and 19.
In less developed countries, 57 babies are born per 1 000 girls in this age group, and in underdeveloped countries as many as 116.
The report also reveals that South Africa's HIV infection rate of 14.5% among men and 21.8% among women is still among the highest in Africa.
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