ment to responsible monetary and fiscal policies and to the
introduction of structural reforms to liberalize markets and promote
competition. The government of Ronald VENETIAAN has begun an
austerity program, raised taxes, and attempted to control spending.
While - in 2002 - President VENETIAAN agreed to a large pay raise
for civil servants, threatening his earlier gains in stabilizing the
economy, he has not repeated this promise in the run-up to the May
2005 elections. The Dutch Government has agreed to restart the aid
flow, which will allow Suriname to access international development
financing, but plans to phase out funds over the next five years.
The short-term economic outlook depends on the government's ability
to control inflation and on the development of projects in the
bauxite and gold mining sectors. Prospects for local onshore oil
production are good, as a drilling program is underway. Offshore oil
drilling was given a boost in 2004 when the State Oil Company
(Staatsolie) signed exploration agreements with Repsol and Mearsk.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.885 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13%
industry: 22%
services: 65% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
104,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate:
17% (2000)

Population below poverty line:
70% (2002 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
23% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $400 million
expenditures: $440 million, including capital expenditures of $34
million (2003)

Agriculture - products:
paddy rice, bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts;
beef, chickens; forest products; shrimp

Industries:
bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, oil, lumbering, food
processing, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (1994 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.984 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 25.2%
hydro: 74.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.845 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
12,000