mic activity is controlled
by the state. Private sector activity is typically small-scale -
workshops, farming, and services. President KHATAMI has continued to
follow the market reform plans of former President RAFSANJANI, with
limited progress. Relatively high oil prices in recent years have
enabled Iran to amass some $22 billion in foreign exchange reserves,
but have not eased economic hardships such as high unemployment and
inflation. In December 2003 a major earthquake devastated the city
of Bam in southeastern Iran, killing more than 30,000 people.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $478.2 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 12.5%
industry: 41.2%
services: 46.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
28.6% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
40% (2002 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
16.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
22.32 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 30%, industry 25%, services 45% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
15.7% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $40.38 billion
expenditures: $40.29 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.6
billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
28.2% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy
products, wool; caviar

Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other construction
materials, food processing (particularly sugar refining and
vegetable oil production), metal fabricating, armaments

Industrial production growth rate:
3% excluding oil (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
124.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
115.9 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
3.804 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
1.277 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
2.2 million bbl/day (2003)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
94.39 billion bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
61.5 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
65.59 billion cu m (2001 est.)