lihood. Namibia must
import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is three to six times
the per capita GDP of Africa's poorest countries, the majority of
Namibia's people live in pronounced poverty because of the great
inequality of income distribution and the large amounts going to
foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$6.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$3,700 (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 15%
industry: 20%
services: 65% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 8% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total: 500,000
by occupation: agriculture 49%, industry and commerce 25%, services
5%, government 18%, mining 3% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% to 40%, including underemployment (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $193
million (FY96/97 est.)

Industries: meat packing, fish processing, dairy products; mining
(diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate: 10% (1994)

Electricity-capacity: 0 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 0 kWh (1995)
note: imports electricity from South Africa

Electricity-consumption per capita: 584 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish

Exports:
total value: $1.45 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium, cattle,
processed fish, karakul skins
partners: UK, South Africa, Spain, Japan (1994)

Imports:
total value: $1.55 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and
equipment, chemicals
partners: South Africa 85%, Germany, US, Japan (1994 est.)

Debt-external: $315 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Namibian dollar (N$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Nambian dollars (N$) per US$1-4.94193 (January 1998),
4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994),
3.26774 (1993)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Communications

Telephones: 89,722 (1992 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio
relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by
open wire
international: NA
note: a fully automated digital network is to be operational by 1997

Radio broadcast stati