ter; the red sun of freedom represents the blood shed to
achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush countryside,
and secondarily, the traditional color of Islam

Economy Bangladesh

Economy - overview: Despite sustained domestic and international efforts
to improve economic and demographic prospects, Bangladesh remains a
poor, overpopulated, and ill-governed nation. Although more than half
of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of
Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the
single most important product. Major impediments to growth include
frequent cyclones and floods, inefficient state-owned enterprises,
inadequate port facilities, a rapidly growing labor force that cannot be
absorbed by agriculture, delays in exploiting energy resources (natural
gas), insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic
reforms. Economic reform is stalled in many instances by political
infighting and corruption at all levels of government. Progress also has
been blocked by opposition from the bureaucracy, public sector unions,
and other vested interest groups. The newly-elected BNP government,
led by Prime Minister Khaleda ZIA, has the parliamentary strength to
push through needed reforms, but the party's level of political will to
do so remains undetermined.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $230 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 5.6% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,750 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 18% services:
52% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 35.6% (FY95/96 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1995-96 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 33.6 (1995-96)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 64.1 million (1998) note: extensive export of labor
to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers'
remittances estimated at $1.71 billion in 1998-99

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 63%, services 26%, industry 11%
(FY95/96)

Unemployment rate: 35% (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $4.9 billion expenditures: $6.8 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper
newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Industrial prod