The project background is an important part of every proposal. It can be very similar to the project rationale or the project justification. It shows your donor that you did your homework and that your project is planned well. But where can you get the information and data for your project background? And how does one actually look like?
Here you have an example project background for Malaysia. If you are planning or working in Malaysia then you are welcome to use this blueprint. Be sure to add more specific information about your own project though, and add other relevant data according to the region and place.
Project Background of Malaysia
The Muslim-majority nation of Malaysia is one of the fastest developing countries in the South-East Asia region, and on a global scale too. Situated in the South China Sea and with Indonesia, Singapore, and the Philippines as close neighbors, Malaysia distinguishes from them through its thriving economy and noticeably high human development index.
Indeed, the country’s 31,381,992 inhabitants enjoy a life expectancy of 75.2 years along with an average of 13 years of schooling and a 94.6% literacy rate. Combined with the country’s GDP of $930.8 billion, this amounts to an HDI index of 0.802. Malaysia’s gender equality mirrors this high HDI with its 0.287 scores on the Gender Inequality Index
The Malay population is mainly located around the country’s cities, as 76% lives in urban areas and only 24% lives in rural areas. This explains the relatively small part agriculture plays in the Malaysian economy and the important contribution of the service industry to it. Moreover, this can also be seen to account for the 99.4% of births in the hospital, which, in turn, translates to a relatively low child and maternal mortality rates.
The prevalence of the service industry is further emphasized by the country’s ease of doing business which scores at 78.43. This, therefore, does not seem to be hampered by its 62nd position in terms of transparency.
One area, however, is still lagging behind. Indeed, despite the low percentile of poverty and unemployment, respectively at 3.8% and 3.4%, malnourishment remains an issue, as 13.7% of children still suffer from it.
If you are looking for more information then there are other sources that you could use like the OECD, World Bank or the UN. Unless otherwise indicated, the data was retrieved from the CIA World Factbook.
Country: Malaysia
Source: CIA The World Factbook (unless otherwise indicated)
Demographics
- Population: 31,381,992
- Density: 96.254 sq/km (The World Bank)
- Area (Rural/ Urban) – 24% / 76%
- Under the poverty line: 3.8%
Education
- Literacy rate – 94.6%
- Average years of schooling- 13 years
- Average years of schooling male vs. female- 12 vs. 13
Health
- Average life expectancy- 75.2 years
- Child mortality – 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births
- Maternal mortality- 40 deaths/100,000 live births
- Stunting/Malnourishment in children- 13.7%
- Fertility rate – 2.1 children born/woman
Economy
- Most important sectors- Services, Industry, and Agriculture
- GDP – $930.8 billion
- Unemployment rate- 3.8%
Ecology
- % of the forested area- 62%
- Number of National Parks- 312 ( National parks)
Other:
- Rank Gender Inequality Index – 0.287 (http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII)
- Human Development Index- 0.802 (http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/MMR
- Corruption Rank- 62/180 (https://www.transparency.org/country/MMR)
- Ease of doing business- 78.43 (http://www.doingbusiness.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/malaysia
