hich provides a blanket of confidentiality with
regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses,
made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to
international business. Livestock raising is the most important
agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet
domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links
with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the
US dollar as its currency since 1959.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$853.4 million (2004 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$839.7 million (2003)

GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$38,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2%
services: 92% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
12,770 (2004)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 0.6%
industry: 40%
services: 59.4%

Unemployment rate:
3.6% (1997)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2% (2005)

Budget:
revenues: $204.7 million
expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of
$33.8 million (2004)

Agriculture - products:
fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Industries:
tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block,
offshore financial center

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
42 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
39.06 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - consumption:
480 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$134.3 million (1999)

Exports:
$25.3 million (2002)

Exports - commodities:
rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand

Exports - partners:
Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)

Imports:
$187 million (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery

Imports - partners:
Virgin Islands (US), Pu