onomy

Economy - overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources,
including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral
deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important
sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee
is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export
revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign
countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and
stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising
producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum
products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are
especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and
export earnings. In 1990-2000, the economy turned in a solid
performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports,
reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the
return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. Ongoing Ugandan
involvement in the war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,
corruption within the government, and slippage in the government's
determination to press reforms raise doubts about the continuation
of strong growth. In 2000, Uganda qualified for enhanced HIPC debt
relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145
million. These amounts combined with the original Highly Indebted
Poor Countries HIPC debt relief add up to about $2 billion. Growth
for 2001 should be somewhat lower than in 2000, because of a decline
in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.2 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43%

industry: 17%

services: 40% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: 55% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3%

highest 10%: 33.4% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (2000)

Labor force: 8.361 million (1993 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 82%, industry 5%, services
13% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $959 million

expenditures: $1.04 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est.)

Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement

Industrial production growth rate: 7