r 1998, which worsened the
republic's budget deficit. The current administration presides over
an uneasy internal peace and faces difficult economic problems of
stimulating recovery and reducing poverty.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $2.148 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 6.9%
industry: 53.9%
services: 39.2% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
31.3% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.4% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
NA (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $1.025 billion
expenditures: $946.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cassava (tapioca), sugar, rice, corn, peanuts, vegetables, coffee,
cocoa; forest products

Industries:
petroleum extraction, cement, lumber, brewing, sugar, palm oil,
soap, flour, cigarettes

Industrial production growth rate:
0% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
358.1 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
633 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
300 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
275,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
5,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
93.5 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
495.5 million cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$139.2 million (2003)

Exports:
$2.293 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum, lumber, plywood, sugar, cocoa, coffee, diamonds

Exports - partners:
China 28.6%, Taiwan 19.3%, US 16%, South Korea 12.9% (2003)

Imports:
$666.9 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, construction materials, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
France 22.2%, US 6.8%, Italy 6.2%, China 5.1%, Belgium 4.6%, India
4.4% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$44.53 million (2