Economy - overview:
Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, a landlocked
Sub-Saharan nation, whose economy centers on subsistence crops,
livestock, and some of the world's largest uranium deposits. Drought
cycles, desertification, a 3.3% population growth rate, and the drop
in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy. Niger shares
a common currency, the CFA franc, and a common central bank, the
Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO), with seven other
members of the West African Monetary Union. In December 2000, Niger
qualified for enhanced debt relief under the International Monetary
Fund program for Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and concluded
an agreement with the Fund on a Poverty Reduction and Growth
Facility (PRGF). Debt relief provided under the enhanced HIPC
initiative significantly reduces Niger's annual debt service
obligations, freeing funds for expenditures on basic health care,
primary education, HIV/AIDS prevention, rural infrastructure, and
other programs geared at poverty reduction. Nearly half of the
government's budget is derived from foreign donor resources. Future
growth may be sustained by exploitation of oil, gold, coal, and
other mineral resources.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.716 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $900 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 17%
services: 44% (2001)

Labor force:
70,000 receive regular wages or salaries (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%

Unemployment rate:
NA (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
63% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 35.4% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
50.5 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $320 million - including $134 million from foreign sources
expenditures: $320 million, including capital expenditures of $178
million (2002 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cowpeas, cotton, peanuts, millet, sorghum, cassava (tapioca), rice;
cattle, sheep, goats, camels, donkeys, horses, poultry

Industries:
uranium mining, cement, brick, soap, textiles, food processing,
chemicals, slaughterhouses

Industrial production g