from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Thomas J. DODD

embassy: Calle 120 Avenida O, Pavas, San Jose

mailing address: APO AA 34020

telephone: [506] 220-3939

FAX: [506] 220-2305

Flag description: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red
(double width), white, and blue, with the coat of arms in a white
disk on the hoist side of the red band

Costa Rica Economy

Economy - overview: Costa Rica's basically stable economy depends on
tourism, agriculture, and electronics exports. Poverty has been
substantially reduced over the past 15 years, and a strong social
safety net has been put into place. Foreign investors remain
attracted by the country's political stability and high education
levels, and tourism continues to bring in foreign exchange. However,
traditional export sectors have not kept pace. Low coffee prices and
an overabundance of bananas have hurt the agricultural sector. The
government continues to grapple with its large deficit and massive
internal debt and with the need to modernize the state-owned
electricity and telecommunications sector.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $25 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12.5%

industry: 30.7%

services: 56.8% (1999)

Population below poverty line: 20.6% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%:
1.3%

highest 10%: 34.7% (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.9 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 20%, industry 22%, services
58% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.2% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $1.95 billion

expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

Industries: microprocessors, food processing, textiles and clothing,
construction materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2000)

Electricity - production: 5.805 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2.41%

hydro: 83.32%

nuclear: 0%

other: 14.27% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 5.303 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 165 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 69 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: coffee, pineapples, bananas, sugar, corn,
rice, beans, potatoes; beef; timber

Exports: $6.1 bil