Economy - overview: The economy depends largely on financial
assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997
or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local
population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and
sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work
force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the
Falklands, and in the UK.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.2% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 3,500 (1998 est.)

note: 1,200 of whom are working offshore

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture and fishing 6%, industry
(mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)

Unemployment rate: 14% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $11.2 million

expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY92)

Industries: construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy
woodwork), fishing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 5.6 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish,
crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)

Exports: $704,000 (f.o.b., 1995)

Exports - commodities: fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried
skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts

Exports - partners: South Africa, UK

Imports: $14.434 million (c.i.f., 1995)

Imports - commodities: food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal
feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and
parts

Imports - partners: UK, South Africa

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid - recipient: $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million
from UK (1997)

Currency: Saint Helenian pound (SHP)

Currency code: SHP

Exchange rates: Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6764
(January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6047
(1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Saint Helenian pound is at par
with the Bri