Armenia

Armenia Quick Facts
 

Persons with Disabilities in Armenia: According to Unison NGO, between 4.4 percent and 4.6 percent of the population is registered as a PWD. The International Disability Rights Monitor ranks Armenia favorably with regard to health services and housing for PWDs, however ranks Armenia low with regard to education and employment opportunities. According to the same report, only 8 percent of disabled persons of working age are currently employed. Accessibility for PWDs remains one of the most important obstacles to overcome. Most public facilities, transportation and schools do not have aqequate facilities to accomodate the needs of PWDs.

Women's Rights in Armenia: Despite the high educational (women account for 60 percent of people with higher education) and civic potential women are underrepresented in the legislative branch, are excluded from governance system both on decision making level and on all levels of governance and local self-governance. In the National Assembly of Armenia women account for 9.2 percent of members, and in 7 commissions out of 12, no women are represented. Women account for 70 percent among the officially registered unemployed. Unemployment rate is 60.1 percent among economically active women in age group of 30-39. Average salary of women in the country is equal to about 59 percent of men's salary and in areas of predominantly female employment, such as education, healthcare, culture, social services women as a social and employment group are paid less than men.

Youth Participation in Armenia: With its aging population and minimal population growth (0.2 percent growth in 2010), a significant burden will be placed on the youth segment to ensure that economic, social and political progress is made. Literacy among the youth segment is 99.8 percent, over 50 percent of the youth population enters tertiary education and the government spends 3 percent of GDP on education. Despite high levels of literacy, Armenia's labor participation rates among both women and men is lower than it was in 1982. The labor participation rate for women is 59.4 percent and stands at 74.6 percent for men. 

Ethnic Tension in Armenia: In the early 20^th century, two million Armenians living in Eastern Turkey had died, been deported, or were assimilated. By a large margin, Armenians were the victims of this tragedy. As a Turkic people, Turkey supported Azerbaijan against Armenian aspirations to regain what Armenians claimed to be historic parts of Armenia. In 1993, after Armenia captured a large Azerbaijani province, the Turks closed the border with Armenia. In October 2009, Turkey and Armenia signed a historic accord to normalize relations.