AIDS and Population
The Upper East Region, second least populated region in the country also has the fourth highest AIDS rate (table 2). This region, like the Eastern region, does not follow the pattern of direct proportionality with the AIDS rate. However considering the fact that over 80% of the region is rural (table 5), that 88% of the its people live below the poverty line (that is, earn less than $100 annually; table 3), that it’s a popular tourist destination because of its crocodiles and that there are about 104 people per square kilometer (table 4) makes it ideal for the rapid spread of the disease. This is so because considering the fact that 88% of these people are very poor (table 3), it is very unlikely that they would be willing to use their scarce financial resources to buy condoms. Also, with over 80% of the region rural (table 5), suggesting a high illiteracy rate, and with the pervading influence of western culture fueled by the region’s tourism potential, the rapid spread of the disease seems quite inevitable.
Also, apart from the Northern Region, the rest of the other regions correlate normally to the AIDS rate; that is the higher the population, the higher the AIDS rate (table 2, graph 1, map 2). Though the Northern region has a population of 1,820,206 people (the fifth highest), it has the second lowest AIDS rate. This is simply because it is the largest region in the country. As such, its population density of about 25.9 people per square kilometer (table 4) significantly reduces the AIDS rate in the region as well as influences the degree to which other factors would correlate with the AIDS rate. This is because no matter how poor the people are, the lower the population density, the lesser the likelihood of them contracting AIDS.