Poverty and Malaria in Angola: A Development Analysis
This paper examines the correlation between poverty and reported malaria cases in Angola, using GNI per capita and malaria incidence data to track health outcomes over time. It traces the spike in malaria cases following the end of Angola's civil war in 2002–2003, when 80% of the population lacked access to medical care, and analyzes how subsequent foreign investment and rising GNI have contributed to declining malaria rates. The paper also critically notes that foreign bank ownership and ongoing inequality mean that many native Angolans remain impoverished, sustaining elevated malaria burdens despite the country's rapid overall economic growth.
- Overview of Angola and Its Development Context: Background on Angola's geography, economy, and resources
- Malaria Trends and the Impact of Civil War: Civil war's role in the 2003 malaria spike
- Foreign Investment, Economic Recovery, and Healthcare Access: Post-war foreign aid and rising GNI reduce malaria
- The Correlation Between Poverty and Malaria in Angola: Poverty and malaria remain linked despite growth
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its argument in concrete data points — specific malaria case counts, GNI figures, and World Bank statistics — which lend credibility to its claims about the poverty-malaria correlation.
- It connects macroeconomic trends (GDP growth, foreign investment) to individual-level health outcomes, demonstrating how political history shapes public health.
- The closing analogy — outside bankers feeding off the nation just as malaria feeds on Angolans — provides a memorable, rhetorically pointed conclusion that ties economic critique to the health argument.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper uses a single health indicator (reported malaria cases) as a lens through which to analyze broader socioeconomic conditions. By cross-referencing GNI data with disease incidence over time, it demonstrates how quantitative indicators can be combined to build a causal argument about development and inequality.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with country background and data source identification, then traces the malaria spike to the civil war's humanitarian crisis. It proceeds to discuss economic recovery and foreign investment before concluding with a critical assessment of persistent poverty and its continued effect on malaria prevalence. References follow APA formatting.
Overview of Angola and Its Development Context
Angola is a country on the southern West coast of Africa. Its capital city is Luanda, and it recognizes half a dozen national languages, though its official language is Portuguese. Angola achieved independence from Portugal in 1975 and covers over one million square kilometers. According to the 2014 census, its population was 24,383,301 people. Angola possesses rich natural resources, ranging from diamonds and oil to diverse wildlife. Today it has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world and the fastest in Africa (Angola Financial Sector Profile, 2015).
The indicator examined here is "reported malaria cases," defined as the "total number of reported malaria cases during the given year" (Data in Gapminder World, 2016). Understanding this indicator in the context of Angola's broader development trajectory reveals a compelling relationship between malaria prevalence and socioeconomic conditions — particularly the legacy of civil war and the pace of poverty reduction.
Malaria Trends and the Impact of Civil War
The trend in reported malaria cases shows a sudden spike from 2002 to 2003, rising from 1.86 million reported cases in 2002 to 3.24 million the following year, followed by a gradual decline from 2003 onward. This sudden increase can be attributed to the end of Angola's civil war. The United Nations noted that in 2003, 80% of people in Angola had no access to medical care, 60% had no access to clean water, and life expectancy was below 40 years (Polgreen, 2003).
The devastation wrought by years of civil conflict left the country's health infrastructure in ruins. With such a large proportion of the population unable to access basic medical services, the conditions for widespread malaria transmission were acute. The scale of the spike in reported cases reflects both the genuine burden of disease and, paradoxically, the resumption of reporting systems that the end of conflict made possible.
Foreign Investment, Economic Recovery, and Healthcare Access
With the end of the Angolan civil war, foreign aid began flowing into the country and the capacity to care for its population expanded significantly. Angola came to be viewed as a major developing country, with a GDP of approximately $130 billion per year. Its GNI stands at $6,540 per capita, according to the World Bank (GNI per capita, 2015). The country's newfound stability understandably appeals to foreign investors, who feel more confident building up its infrastructure — even as critics note that such investment simultaneously serves to exploit Angola's natural resources.
As the nation has grown and reduced its poverty levels, malaria incidence has declined. According to the World Health Organization, more and more people are now being treated for malaria (WHO: Angola Malaria Publication, 2015). However, the fact that most banks operating in Angola are foreign-owned (Angola Financial Sector Profile, 2015) raises a critical concern: outside interests continue to capture the bulk of Angola's economic gains, leaving many native Angolans relatively impoverished. Despite the rise in GNI over the years, Angola still ranks 91st in the world on this measure — a figure that reflects the significant gap between aggregate economic growth and equitable development.
The poverty level was extremely low when the civil war came to a close, and GNI in 2003 was merely a third of what it is today. This sharp rise in household income since the end of fighting — driven in large part by foreign nations' investments — has helped rebuild the nation's infrastructure and extend healthcare to previously displaced populations. Nevertheless, the distribution of these gains remains deeply uneven.
References
Angola Financial Sector Profile. (2015). MFW4A. Retrieved from http://www.mfw4a.org/angola/angola-financial-sector-profile.html
Data in Gapminder World. (2016). Gapminder.org. Retrieved from http://www.gapminder.org/data/
GNI per capita. (2015). Trading Economics. Retrieved from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/angola/gni-per-capita-ppp-us-dollar-wb-data.html
Polgreen, L. (2003). Angolans come home to negative peace. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/30/world/angolans-come-home-to-negative-peace.html
WHO: Angola Malaria Publication. (2015). World Health Organization. Retrieved from
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