social
safety net has been put in place. Recent trends, however, have been
disappointing. Economic growth slipped from 4.3% in 1994 to 2.5% in
1995, and to 0.9% in 1996. Inflation rose to 22.5% in 1995 from 13.5%
in 1994, then dropped back to 13.9% in 1996. Unemployment appears
moderate at little more than 5% but substantial underemployment
continues. Furthermore, substantial government deficits have
undermined efforts to maintain the quality of social services. The
government thus faces a formidable set of problems: to curb inflation,
reduce the deficit, encourage domestic savings, and improve public
sector efficiency while increasing the role of the private sector, all
this in harmony with IMF agreements.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $19 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -0.9% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,500 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 18%
industry: 24%
services: 58% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 13.9% (1996 est.)

Labor force:
total: 868,300
by occupation: industry and commerce 35.1%, government and services
33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)

Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1996 est.); much underemployment

Budget:
revenues : $1.1 billion
expenditures: $1.34 billion, including capital expenditures of $110
million (1991 est.)

Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, construction
materials, fertilizer, plastic products

Industrial production growth rate: 10.5% (1992)

Electricity - capacity: 1,113,900 kW (1995)

Electricity - production: 5.138 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,330 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: coffee, bananas, sugar, corn, rice, beans,
potatoes; beef; timber (depletion of forest resources has resulted in
declining timber output)

Exports:
total value: $3.82 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar
partners: US, Germany, Italy, Guatemala, El Salvador, Netherlands, UK,
France

Imports:
total value: $3.857 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities : raw materials, consumer goods, capital equipment,
petroleum
partners: US, Japan, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, Germany

Debt - external: $3.2 billion (October 1996 est.)

Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1 - 219.29 (December
1996), 207.69 (1996), 179.73 (1995), 157.