Niger

  NIGER

A. THE COUNTRY

The Republic of Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa which is
over 80% covered by the Sahara desert.  The government is a military
junta.  The last military coup in 2010 brought a new president to power.
There has been intermittent Tuareg insurgency in the north for some
years.  The economy is concentrated around subsistence and some export
agriculture clustered in the more fertile south, and the export of raw
materials – especially uranium ore.  Niger is handicapped by
environmental droughts and degradation and lack of infrastructure.
There is great dependance on aid and IMF loans.

B. THE PEOPLE

One of the world’s poorest nations, the people lack health care and
education, and 50% are under the age of 15.  
The population is ~16,500,000 and official language is French.
~89.4% are Sub-Saharan African, ~10.4% Arab World, ~0.2% Other (French,
others).

C. RELIGIONS AND CHRISTIANITY/PENTECOSTALISM

Niger is a non-confessional state with considerable freedom of religion
and few restrictions on mission work.  Still, Islam is pervasive, and
groups with strict and aggressive interpretations of it are on the
increase.  ~97.14% are Muslim, ~2.5% Ethnoreligionist, ~0.33% claim to
be Christian, ~0.03% Baha’i.
In the Christian category:
~0.1% are Protestant, ~0.1% Catholic, ~0.08% Independent, <0.01%
Unaffiliated.
Evangelicals represent ~0.1% of the population.
Charismatics represent ~0.1% and of those ~0.03% are Pentecostals.
Donna Siemens

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org

Operation World, Jason Mandryk. Colorado Springs: Biblica Publishing, 2010.