fering offshore
registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and
incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. An estimated
250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. The
adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which
provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory
gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make
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 dollar as
its currency since 1959.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8%

industry: 6.2%

services: 92% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000)

Labor force: 4,911 (1980)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%

Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)

Budget: revenues: $121.5 million

expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1985)

Electricity - production: 42 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 39.1 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

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

Exports: $6.2 million (2000 est.)

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

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

Imports: $220 million (2000 est.)

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

Imports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Debt - external: $36.1 million (1997)

Economic aid - recipient: $2.6 million (1995)

Currency: US dollar (USD)

Currency code: USD

Exchange rat