Economy - overview: One of the world's poorest and least developed
countries, Somalia has few resources. Moreover, much of the economy
has been devastated by the civil war. Agriculture is the most
important sector, with livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and
about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads, who are dependent
upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large portion of the
population. Crop production generates only 10% of GDP and employs
about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar,
sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The small
industrial sector is based on the processing of agricultural products
and accounts for less than 10% of GDP; most facilities have been shut
down because of the civil strife. The greatly increased political
turmoil of 1991-93 resulted in a substantial drop in agricultural
output, with widespread famine. In 1994 economic conditions stabilized
in the countryside, followed in 1995 by slight improvements. However,
ongoing civil strife in Mogadishu and outlying areas is interfering
with any substantial recovery.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.6 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $500 (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 65.5%
industry: 8.7%
services: 25.8% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA

Labor force:
total: 3.7 million (very few are skilled laborers)(1993 est.)
by occupation: agriculture (mostly pastoral nomadism) 71%, industry
and services 29%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining,
textiles, petroleum refining (mostly shut down)

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 144,000 kW prior to the civil war, but now
largely shut down due to war damage; some localities operate their own
generating plants, providing limited municipal power; note - UN and
relief organizations use their own portable power systems

Electricity - production: 60 million kWh (1991)

Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture - products: bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane;
cattle, sheep, goats; fishing potential largely unexploited

Exports:
total value: $130 million (1994 est.)
commodities: bananas, live animals, fish, hides (1995)
partners: Saudi Ara