Box 1

GCC at a Glance

• Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.).

Area and population:

• The countries have 2 percent of the world's total land area, and their combined population of about 25.7 million accounts for less than 1 percent of the total population of the world. Population growth in the GCC countries (3.5 percent per annum) is higher than the world average (1.7 percent per annum). Nonnationals comprise on average about one third of the population in the GCC countries. About 43 percent of the population is below the age of 15, and 60 percent is below the age of 25.

Petroleum and gas:

• The GCC countries hold 53 percent of the world's proven petroleum reserves and account for 24 percent of the world's production, and 40 percent of exports of petroleum. The countries hold 14 percent of the world's proven natural gas reserves.

GDP:

• In 1995, per capita income in the GCC countries ranged from US$5,345 in Oman to US$18,068 in Kuwait, compared to the world average of US$5,148.

Social indicators:

• Life expectancy (72 years) in the GCC countries is higher than the world's average (66 years). Other social indicators are also very favorable: literacy rate exceeds 70 percent; infant mortality rate is less than half of the world average; the physician-population ratio is about 7 times better than the world average; and primary school enrollment corresponds to 90 percent of school-age population, with female enrollment being almost equal to that of males.