ion or ADN [Pedro Charro KELLY]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, UNESCO (associate), UPU, WCL, WToO
(associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to
Netherlands Antilles, Robert E. SORENSON, is accredited to Aruba

Flag description:
blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower
portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper
hoist-side corner

Economy Aruba

Economy - overview:
Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with
offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The
rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted
in a substantial expansion of other activities. Construction has
boomed, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition,
the reopening of the country's oil refinery in 1993, a major source
of employment and foreign exchange earnings, has further spurred
growth. Aruba's small labor force and low unemployment rate have led
to a large number of unfilled job vacancies, despite sharp rises in
wage rates in recent years. Tourist arrivals have declined in the
aftermath of the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US. The
government now must deal with a budget deficit and a negative trade
balance.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $1.94 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
-1.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $28,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA
industry: NA
services: NA

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
41,500 (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair,
followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining

Unemployment rate:
0.6% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $135.8 million
expenditures: $147 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2000)

Agriculture - products:
aloes; livestock; fish

Industries:
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

Industrial production grow