ania qualified for
debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative and in December 2001 received strong support from donor
and lending countries at a triennial Consultative Group review. In
2001, exploratory oil wells in tracts 80 km offshore indicated
potential extraction at current world oil prices. A new investment
code approved in December 2001 improved the opportunities for direct
foreign investment. Ongoing negotiations with the IMF involve
problems of economic reforms and fiscal discipline. Substantial oil
production and exports probably will not begin until 2005. Meantime
the government emphasizes reduction of poverty, improvement of
health and education, and promoting privatization of the economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $5.195 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,800 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 29%
services: 46% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
50% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 30.2% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37.3 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
786,000 (2001)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 50%, industry 10%, services 40% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
21% (1999 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $421 million
expenditures: $378 million, including capital expenditures of $154
million (2002 est.)

Agriculture - products:
dates, millet, sorghum, rice, corn, dates; cattle, sheep

Industries:
fish processing, mining of iron ore and gypsum

Industrial production growth rate:
2% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
157.4 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
146.3 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$541 million f.o.b. (2002)

Exports - commodities:
iron ore, fish and fish products, gold

Exports - partners:
Japan 12.5%, France 12.1%, Spain 11.4%, Italy 10.4%, Belgium 7.8%,
Germany 7.4%, Russia 5%, Cote d'Ivoire 4.2%, Netherlands 4% (2003)

Imports:
$860 million f.o.b. (20