Total labour force of the country in 2009 was 3.16 million. Of the total labour force, 2.96 million people were employed and 0.2 million people were unemployed.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Unemployment rate in the country was 6.40% of total labour force in the year 2009, as compared to 5.70% in the year 2008.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Minimum wage

Minimum wage rate as of April 2009 in Paraguay was 1,408.86 per month.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Level of unionisation

About 15% of the country’s labour force are members of trade unions. The country has 1,600 unions with total membership of approximately 121,000 workers.

(Source: State.gov)

Total population

Total population of Paraguay in the year 2009 was 6.34 million, as compared to 6.23 million in the year 2008. In 2009, males accounted for 50.54% of the total population, females 49.46%.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Of total population, 61% is in the age group of 15 to 64 years, followed by 34.02% below 14 years and remaining 4.98% above 65 years of age.

 

Population by Age	Number of People
0-14	2,157,244
15-64	3,867,927
65+	315,470

 

 

 

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay) 

Mortality rate

Total mortality rate in the country was 5.6 deaths per 1000 population in the year 2009. Infant mortality rate stood at 31.1 infant deaths per 1000 population in the year 2009.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Birth rate

The birth rate in the country was 24.6 births per 1000 population in the year 2009.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Average life expectancy rate

Average life expectancy rate at birth for males was 70 years as compared to 74.2 years for females in the year 2009.

(Source: Statistics of Paraguay)

Ethnicity

The major ethnic group in Paraguay is Mestizo (95%).

(Source: state.gov)

Human development index

The country was ranked 96^th on the Human Development Index 2010 conducted by the United Nations. The HDI provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income).

(Source: UNDP)

Labour force

The total labour force in Swaziland in 2009 included 457,132.9 individuals, as compared to 444,595.5 in 2008.

Labour participation rate for female is 53% and male participation rate is 47%.

(Source: World Bank)

Unemployment rate

According to IMF estimates, the unemployment rate for 2010 was registered at 30%.

(Source: IMF)

Minimum wage

The minimum wage is SZL 300 per month for a domestic worker. The minimum wage for a 19-year old worker or an apprentice is about USD 85.5 per month.

(Source: minimum-wage.org, doingbusiness.org)

Level of unionisation

The main federations in the country are the Swaziland Federation of Labour (SFL) and Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU).

The major trade unions in the country include:

·         Federation of Swaziland Employers

·         Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU)          

·         Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT)

·         Swaziland Nurses Association (SNA)

·         Swaziland Transport and Allied Workers Union (STAWU)

(Source: Commonwealthofnations.org)

Paraguay has a Constitutional republic form of government. The country’s constitution was adopted in June 1992. The government system in Paraguay includes legislative, executive and judicial powers.

The Executive branch consists of the President and Vice President. The President and Vice President are directly elected by people for the term of five years. The legislative branch is exercised through the parliament. The parliament is bicameral and comprises the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. The members of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies are elected directly for a term of five years.

The President has the authority to form laws and to put them into effect and also to disapprove the laws passed by parliament. The president has the authority to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers and is the commander in chief of the armed forces.

Mr. Fernando Lugo is the current president of the country and Mr. Federico Franco is the current Vice President.

(Source: State.gov, ICL, President Office)

The major political parties in the country are:

• National Republican Association/Colorado Party (ANR)
• Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA)
• Beloved Fatherland (PPQ)
• National Union of Ethical Citizens (UNACE)
• National Encounter Party (PEN)

(Source: State.gov)

Regulatory environment in Paraguay

(Source:Heritage.org)

The country’s economic freedom score is 62.3, making its economy the 77^th freest in the 2011 Index of Economic Freedom. Paraguay ranks 16^th out of 29 regional countries in the South and Central America/Caribbean region.

Corruption perception

Paraguay was ranked in 146^th place with a score of 2.2 on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2010. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a survey to measure the perceived level of corruption across countries worldwide.

(Source:transparency.org)

Freedom of information

Media in Paraguay is restricted. Journalists investigating corruption, or covering strikes and protests often face legal harassment.

Major newspapers in the country include:

• ABC Color
• La Nacion
• Ultima Hora

(Source: BBC)

The country was ranked 54^th with a score of 16.25 on the World Press Freedom Index 2010.

(Source: rsf.org)

Judicial system

The judiciary in Paraguay consists of

• Supreme Court of Justice
• Appellate Courts
• Lower Courts

The Supreme Court is the highest court of justice. The Supreme Court has the right to supervise every judicial branch organisation.

(Source: ICL)

The Swaziland recorded a total population of 929,718 in 2010, increasing at a rate of about 2.9% over the previous year.

(Source: Government of Swaziland)

The male to female ratio at birth is 1.03:1.

Individuals below 14 years of age in the country account for 44.4% of the total population. People in the age group of 15 to 64 years account for 52.5% of the population and those aged 65 years and above constitute 3.1% of total population.

The mortality rate of infants per 1,000 live births is registered at 7.8. The infant mortality rate is 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Life expectancy for males and females is 58 years and 63 years respectively.

(Source: Government of Swaziland)

Ethnic groups in Swaziland are:

·         Swazis

·         European

The religions of the country includes:  Protestant 65%, Muslim 10%, Roman Catholic 5%,  and indigenous belief 30%.

(Source: Government of Swaziland)

The country ranks 121^st out of 182 countries on the Human Development Index (HDI) 2010 conducted by the United Nations. The HDI provides a composite measure of three dimensions of human development: living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy), being educated (measured by adult literacy and gross enrolment in education) and having a decent standard of living (measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, income). 

(Source:UNDP)

The literacy rate is 76.7%. Specifically, the rate for males and females is 78% and 75.6% respectively.

(Source: Government of Swaziland)

Education

Education system of Swaziland includes:

·         Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD)

·         Primary Education

·         Secondary Education 

·         Post Secondary Education

Education in the country is not compulsory. The government is in the process of making education free at the primary level. The primary level begins at the age of six and continues for seven years. Secondary education starts at the age of 13 and is up to five years.

The student to teacher ratio is 32:1, at the primary education level. The combined gross enrolment ratio for both sexes is 60.1%. The expenditure on education in the year 2008 was 7.9% of the GDP.

(Source: estandardsforum.org, UNDP)

Healthcare

In Swaziland, healthcare services are provided through national hospitals and healthcare centres. For every 100,000 individuals, the country has 631 nurses and midwives; 16 physicians; 370 community health care workers; and 210 hospital beds.

The country has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS globally. In the year 2004, half of the deaths were caused by HIV/AIDS.

About 18% of the country’s population is undernourished. The expenditure on health in 2007 was .8% of the GDP.

(Source: estandardsforum.org, UNDP)

The mass public transport in the country is roads.

Roadways

The length of roads is about 3,594 km, of which 30% are paved. (Source: estandardsforum.org)

Railways

The length of rail network in the country is about 301 km. It is used for freight services.

(Source: estandardsforum.org)

(Source:

Airports

(Source: Aircraft-charte-world.com)

Telecommunications networks

In 2010, 90,000 people used internet services. The internet penetration was 6.6% of the population.

Telephone fixed line users and mobile phones users were 40,000 and 70,000 respectively.