overview:
Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane
cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years
has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance
and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The
government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to
encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining
state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly
due to a decline in tourism. Growth should be positive in 2004, the
precise level largely dependent on economic conditions in the US and
Europe.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $4.355 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.2% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $15,700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 16%
services: 78% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
128,500 (2001 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.7% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000 est.)

Agriculture - products:
sugarcane, vegetables, cotton

Industries:
tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export

Industrial production growth rate:
-3.2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
780 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
725.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
1,271 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
10,900 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

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

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

Natural gas - consumption:
29.17 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:
70.79 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Exports:
$206 million (2002)

Exports - commodities:
sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
electrical compone