il fields, offshore fishing, and
tourism. Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to master
fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., overcoming illiteracy,
promoting job creation, expanding technical training, attracting
foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$2.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 6.8% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$600 (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 20%
services: 62% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 4% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $226 million
expenditures: $453 million, including capital expenditures of $88
million (1996 est.)

Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: 73,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: NA kWh

Electricity-consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture-products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, maize, cotton,
tobacco, coffee, sisal (for making rope); livestock (including goats);
fish

Exports:
total value: $71 million (1996 est.)
commodities: livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures
partners: Ethiopia 67%, Sudan 10%, Saudi Arabia 4%, US 3%, Italy,
Yemen (1996)

Imports:
total value: $499 million (1996 est.)
commodities: processed goods, machinery, petroleum products
partners: Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, United Arab Emirates

Debt-external: $162 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 nafka = 100 cents

Exchange rates: nakfa per US$1 = 7.2 (March 1998 est.)
note: following independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea continued to use
Ethiopian currency until late in 1997 when Eritrea issued its own
currency, the nakfa, at approximately the same rate as the birr, i.e.,
7.2 nakfa per US$1

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system:
domestic: very inadequate; about 4 telephones per 100 families, most
of which are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to
improve the system
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (government controlled)

Televisions: NA

@Eritrea:Transportation

Railways:
total: 307 km
narrow gauge: 307 km 0.950-m gauge (1995 est.)
note: nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stre