ding barrier to
sustained economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong
in 2003 and 2004, the nation has important oil and gas reserves, and
inflation is not a problem.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$17.46 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 46.2%
industry: 25.4%
services: 28.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 57%, non-agricultural private sector 20%, public sector
23% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
14.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
25% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.05 billion
expenditures: $2.46 billion, including capital expenditures of $500
million (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes;
meat, dairy products

Industries:
food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement,
chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower

Industrial production growth rate:
3.1% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
5.68 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 2.9%
hydro: 97.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
6.76 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
100 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
1.08 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Oil - production:
2,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
7,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - imports:
5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves:
185.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
30 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
30 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
3.316 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-504 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$552.4 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear; asphalt, met