ons generated by the Asian
and Russian financial crises by emphasizing import substitute
industrialization and by tightening export and currency controls
within its already largely closed economy. The government, while
aware of the need to improve the investment climate, sponsors
measures that often increase, not decrease, the government's control
over business decisions. A sharp increase in the inequality of
income distribution has hurt the lower ranks of society since
independence. In 2003, the government accepted the obligations of
Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund (IMF), providing
for full currency convertibility. However, strict currency controls
and tightening of borders have lessened the effects of
convertibility and have also led to some shortages that have further
stifled economic activity.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$47.59 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.4% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 38%
industry: 26.3%
services: 35.7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
14.64 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995)

Unemployment rate:
0.6% officially, plus another 20% underemployed (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
28% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 22% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
44.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.457 billion
expenditures: $2.482 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
41.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock

Industries:
textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, gold
petroleum, natural gas, chemicals

Industrial production growth rate:
6.2% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
47.7 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 88.2%
hydro: 11.8%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
46.66 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
4.5 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
6.8 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
143,300 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
142,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil -