Rethinking Schooling for the 21st Century

Figure 5.1 Government expenditure on education in South Asia
(% of total government expenditure)
12.5
Afghanistan
17.1
Nepal
25.5
Bhutan
18.6
Iran
13.2
Pakistan
13.8
Bangladesh
11
Sri Lanka
14.1
India
Source: World Bank, 2017c
Table 5.1
Role of agriculture in South Asian economies
Country
Per cent of
labour force in
agriculture
Per cent of population
living in rural areas
Agricultural GDP (as per
cent of total GDP)
Afghanistan 59.4 Over 75 29.9
Bangladesh 44 80 (57 per cent landless) 18.6 (fisheries 4.4 per
cent of GDP)
Bhutan 92.8 85 18.7
India 54 69 17.7 (fisheries 1.1 per
cent of GDP)
Nepal 92.9 92.9 36.5
Pakistan 38.6 63 21.2
Sri Lanka 43 80 12.8 (fisheries 1.7 per
cent of GDP)
Source: Climate Action Network South Asia, 2014, p. 3, Table 1
To what extent these recent changes will influence the basic structure of the
economy and society in South Asia is not easy to estimate. Agriculture remains
the source of livelihood for the vast majority of the population across the
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Chapter 5: South Asia