in 1994. One of the more advanced
developing countries in Asia, Thailand depends on exports of
manufactures and the development of the service sector to fuel the
country's rapid growth. Much of Thailand's recent imports have been
for capital equipment, suggesting that the export sector is poised for
further growth. With foreign investment slowing, Bangkok is working to
increase the generation of domestic capital. Prime Minister CHUAN's
government - Thailand's fifth government in less than three years - is
pledged to continue Bangkok's probusiness policies, and the return of
a democratically elected government has improved business confidence.
Even so, CHUAN must overcome divisions within his ruling coalition to
complete much needed infrastructure development programs if Thailand
is to remain an attractive place for business investment. Over the
longer-term, Bangkok must produce more college graduates with
technical training and upgrade workers' skills to continue its rapid
economic development.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $355.2 billion (1994
est.)

National product real growth rate: 8% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $5,970 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: 3.2% (1993 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $28.4 billion
expenditures: $28.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $9.6
billion (FY94/95 est.)

Exports: $46 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery and manufactures 83%, agricultural products and
fisheries 16%, others 1% (1994 est.)
partners: US 22%, Japan 17%, Singapore 12%, Hong Kong 5%, Germany 4%
(1993)

Imports: $52.6 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: capital goods 44%, intermediate goods and raw materials
37%, consumer goods 16%, other 3% (1994 est.)
partners: Japan 30%, US 12%, Singapore 6%, Germany 5%, Taiwan 5%
(1993)

External debt: $64.3 billion (1994 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 11.5% (1993 est.); accounts for
about 26% of GDP

Electricity:
capacity: 12,810,000 kW
production: 56.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 909 kWh (1993)

Industries: tourism is the largest source of foreign exchange;
textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages, tobacco,
cement, light manufacturing, such as jewelry; electric appliances and
components, integrated circuits, furniture, plastics; world's
second-largest tungsten producer and thir