was slashed by up to 50% in 1997. Despite problems with
drought, the year 1998 saw a small recovery in GDP.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$11.1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,400 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 28.2%
industry: 34.5%
services: 37.3% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.7%
highest 10%: 40.5% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (FY97/98 est.)

Labor force: 1.941 million

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 64% (1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.35 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)

Industries: copra crushing, palm oil processing, plywood
production, wood chip production; mining of gold, silver, and
copper; crude oil production; construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 1.7 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 70.59%
hydro: 29.41%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 1.7 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels, tea,
rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables; poultry, pork

Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities: gold, copper ore, oil, logs, palm oil,
coffee, cocoa, crayfish and prawns

Exports--partners: Australia, Japan, Germany, UK, South Korea,
China

Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1997)

Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, food, fuels, chemicals

Imports--partners: Australia, Singapore, Japan, US, New Zealand,
Malaysia

Debt--external: $3.2 billion (1995)

Economic aid--recipient: $376.3 million (1995)

Currency: 1 kina (K) = 100 toea

Exchange rates: kina (K) per US$1--0.47 (December 1998), 0.6975
(1997), 0.7588 (1996), 0.7835 (1995), 0.9950 (1994); note--the
government floated the kina on 10 October 1994

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 63,212 (1986 est.)

Telephone system: services are adequate and being improved;
facilities provide radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio,
aeronautical radio, and international radio communication services